


Rise to Victory

by musesmistress



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-21
Updated: 2010-09-21
Packaged: 2017-10-12 01:50:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/119457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesmistress/pseuds/musesmistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's always a frightening thing to be sent to live on another planet, but the adventure for Elizabeth doesn't end with simply moving or being handed over to the King of a proud people. Especially when she discovers he has no use for the training she'd had. A concubine just isn't welcomed on Sateda and she has to learn to become someone completely different. Queen Elizabeth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Art](http://archiveofourown.org/works/120303) by [strivaria](http://archiveofourown.org/users/strivaria/pseuds/strivaria)
> 
> Thanks to my betas: [Dossier](http://dossier.livejournal.com) & [AleynaRose](http://aleynarose.livejournal.com)

It was almost impossible for her, keeping her pose. Head up, eyes on the floor, and don't ever look around, especially not at the people. It was all she'd ever known. Then again the palace on Atlantis was all she really knew and now she was here, on a completely different planet being handed over as if she was an object to be owned. She was, though. Her owner had taken her when she was six and since then all she'd known was the rigorous concubine training.

Now she was completely out of her element. Another planet, another palace, another owner and for all she knew, he could be horrible. A monster from the stories other women had told her. Men who enjoyed hurting the women they were with, beating them and only using them for their own enjoyment. The thought made her shudder and falter in her steps and instantly she was pushed forward by Sheppard's advisor, Rodney McKay.

"Keep moving," McKay said. Another concubine, who she knew had never been with McKay, had told others he had a temper that was rivalled only by the man in charge of a neighbouring planet. She knew it was a lie about Rodney McKay, but fervently hoped this wasn't that rumoured planet.

She carried on, following the feet of her current owner as he followed another man. They were being led to the "negotiation room," whatever that meant. She let her eyes dart to the side as they passed into another room. The door was made of gold and the room was littered with tall white columns. Daringly, she looked up. Ahead of her, just over Sheppard's shoulder, she could see a long, elegant, wooden table and chairs to match. Before McKay tugged on her travelling robe, she managed to steal a glance of a woman sitting pristinely on one side of the table, a long elegant dress covering her, making Elizabeth feel extremely exposed.

As Sheppard stepped forward, McKay pointed to a spot off to one side and a small boy she had forgotten was with them rushed over to place a pillow on the floor. Taking her cue from the boy, she knelt in place. It took very little thought to take her position - straight back, high head, chin up, eyes down. The perfect image of beauty, as Sheppard always reminded the women when he ventured through the hall where they stayed: 'Even a concubine should be proud of who she is. She was, after all, selected for her beauty.'

How they could tell when you were six years old was a wonder she'd never find an answer to, but she wasn't about to complain. She had lived well, had never been abused and had been hand selected as the gift in hopes of alliance to this world. A door on the other side of the room opened suddenly and she jumped slightly before quickly retaking her pose. She would not fail now, not after the ten years of training and being selected for this alliance still a virgin.

"King Dex," Sheppard said, and she could feel him bow at her side and knew McKay was doing the same on his other side. She didn't move. "Allow me to offer my thanks for the chance to discuss an alliance with you."

"I hear you're becoming desperate," King Dex responded. She could feel Sheppard bristle beside her. He didn't like the word desperate, then again he didn't much like the words 'destroyed' and 'starvation' either, and that was the state of affairs on Atlantis at the moment.

"Yes," he said through a tight jaw. "The Wraith are moving quickly across the galaxy and you seem to be the only place they have left alone."

"They can't feed on us, so they don't try, and their numbers aren't so extensive that they can defeat our armies." He sounded young and bored, and Elizabeth longed to look for herself.

"Yes," John said and she heard the smack of his lips as he licked them nervously. "I was hoping we could come to an arrangement - a trade of technology, more advanced weaponry, lessons on how to use them. Perhaps even agriculture tips for your farmers."

"And in exchange you want what?"

"We're getting our asses kicked, he has to ask?" McKay whispered. Elizabeth found it hard not to smile at that and fought hard not to shift her shoulders into a more comfortable position.

"Food," John said ignoring the comment. "Medical supplies and perhaps a little man power to help stave off the Wraith."

Silence fell for a moment and Sheppard shifted slightly. Things didn't seem to be going well. If they were, she suspected he wouldn't need to fidget and the awkward moment they'd slipped into wouldn't be happening.

"Your people have the reputation of arrogance," the King said. "I was told once you thought yourselves so good that you could bring an end to the Wraith themselves."

"My lord," the woman sitting at the table said in almost a warning tone.

"We've never said that," John interjected.

"But you think your weapons are superior to ours?"

"We are the descendants of the ancestors."

"Yes," Dex said sharply. "The people who gave the Wraith their power."

She couldn't help herself as Sheppard leaned forward. She glanced up to see him staring at the man on the other side of the table. Daringly, she looked at the king. She had been right. He was young, not quite into his twenties and she felt her heart flutter as she took in the shape and size of him. He made John Sheppard look positively short and skinny. She set her eyes back on the ground just as the conversation continued.

"We had no part in that. You know there were none of our people in this galaxy for hundreds of years after the Wraith," Sheppard spat. "Look, we're doing our best, but our supplies are limited and we've have no contact with the rest of our people for almost two years now."

"Yet you manage to set yourself up with a concubine."

Sheppard straightened. "She was going to be a gift for you," he said calmly. "Once in a while a child is born without the gene. She is the last in recent years, and she's nearly finished her training."

"A people as enhanced as you and you can't find a place in your society for people like her?"

"And a people like yours are supposedly so free you can't bring yourself to help the rest of the galaxy be rid of the Wraith."

Elizabeth's teeth snapped together sharply, catching her tongue slightly in the process. She managed to stop herself whimpering from the pain. Even though she was young and technically still a child, she could work out that the conversation had turned into a challenge and so far, Sheppard was losing. Not to mention, his last comment could very well have him in prison on this world.

John Sheppard was only in his early twenties. His place in the high house of Atlantis had been granted not because of his negotiation skills – which were now very evident - but because he was a skilled warrior. Only three men stood above Sheppard and none of them lived on Atlantis, which put him in charge of the city.

"Tell me of my gift?" Dex said after a moment. John snapped a finger and Elizabeth instantly stood, her back still straight, head up, and eyes down. She suppressed the shudder as the king took in the view.

"She is the youngest concubine in Atlantis, still pure. She would have been taken into womanhood at the end of the week."

"Does she have a name?" Dex asked smugly.

"Tell him," Sheppard said and Elizabeth felt her throat go dry.

"My name is Elizabeth Weir, my lord." She knew her voice was too quiet, but she couldn't bring herself to speak louder.

"Again," Sheppard said.

"No," the woman said, stopping him and Elizabeth faltered long enough to look at the woman. "I heard her from here," she said. "Don't punish her for the bad genes of your people and nerves you cannot possibly teach a child to be rid of."

"Elizabeth isn't the name of a concubine."

"The only tradition we have is that names remain the same as their parents gave them. Should she cross paths with her family in the future, they will be able to see what beauty they have gifted the lords with," McKay explained, sounding a little too impressed with the little tidbit of information.

"But she won't," the King pointed out. "You've taken her from her parents and her planet because she's... what? Inferior?"

"Not inferior, no," McKay sounded a little hurt. "Our technology relies on the gene we have. Without it, all she can do is pass through doors. There is simply nothing else she can do."

"Are you happy in the palace of Atlantis, Elizabeth?" the woman asked.

"I am well cared for, given my space, and time to myself." The answer was rehearsed, something all the concubines had been told to say if asked about their life in the palace.

"Ha!" Elizabeth jumped at the king's outburst. "You don't teach her to speak for herself?"

She felt herself blush as Sheppard turned to look at her. She wasn't used to this. She'd barely spent time with anyone outside the training rooms. And then she'd been with other concubines she could imitate. She was ashamed now, and she didn't know what to do or say. The overwhelming want to cry shuddered down her body and she dropped her head slightly as she pushed it back. On the other side of the table, the woman got up from her seat and moved around to stand in front of her.

"Elizabeth," she said softly. "My name is Kate Heightmeyer, I am King Dex's advisor. Please tell me – were you happy in the palace of Atlantis?"

"Yes," she managed timidly.

"But?" Kate pushed. Elizabeth tipped her head slightly towards Sheppard, continuing could mean a beating later if she said something out of place. "You will not be harmed for speaking out."

"I would have liked to meet my parents."

Kate moved away for a moment and Elizabeth heard a door open down the side of the hall as John heaved a sigh.

"Sit," the king practically ordered. Sheppard and McKay moved forward and pulled out chairs on their side of the table.

She was about to sink back onto her pillow, out of sight from all the men in the room when another woman stepped into view and beckoned her forward. Unsure what to do, she looked at Sheppard who had his head turned to watch them. He nodded, and Elizabeth swallowed hard before she followed the woman out of the room.

"Let's discuss our alliance." She heard the king say as the door was shut behind her.

~*~

The King's outer chamber, where Teyla had been told to take the girl, was usually reserved for the king's wife. A private room where she could do as she pleased without the eyes of her husband following her, or where she could spend the night should they have a disagreement or if she carried a child. This girl, however, was far from the king's wife. She was too young for a start and Teyla had never seen her about the palace before. Mind you, she'd only been here herself for the last four months. Her official place in the palace hadn't been assigned yet. She'd been given time to learn the layout and familiarise herself with the people who were always here. This would be her first time in the King's chambers, though she knew perfectly well where they were. She turned the corner, glancing back at the girl she was leading and stopped.

"Are you unwell, mistress?"

The girl shook her head and stood silently, waiting. Teyla suspected she had yet to learn who she was in this building as well. Eyeing her carefully, Teyla turned back and continued down the corridor to the first of three guarded doors.

"We were sent by Lady Heightmeyer to wait in the king's outer chamber," she said confidently. The guard nodded and Teyla opened the door and led the girl inside. She paused to let her charge pass and then closed the door. When she turned back to the room, the girl had knelt beside the bed with her head hung low. Teyla's brow creased; she'd never seen a girl act so strangely. "You can sit at the table if you wish."

"I am not permitted," the girl said quietly and Teyla found herself more confused. Was this how children were taught on other planets? Curious about this particular girl and her presence here, Teyla moved and sat down on the rug beside her.

"I am Teyla," she said. "Have you come to work for his majesty?"

"Yes."

"Then why would they send you up here?" she asked a little too boldly.

"My place is to serve my master in his bed."

Teyla felt the shock wash over her face and down to her stomach. She had never heard of such a job and prayed that the king would not take a lesson from the people who had brought this girl.

"You--you serve only in the bed?"

"Yes," the girl said again then turned slightly towards her. "I am a concubine."

"I have never heard of such a thing," she said offhandedly. "Do you have a name or do they call you concubine?"

"Elizabeth."

"Are you frightened, Elizabeth?" Teyla asked. She could not imagine being put in this position at such a young age. Elizabeth nodded. Teyla was about to speak when the door opened. She scrambled quickly to her feet and took a place along the wall, as Elizabeth's back straightened. The king stepped in first, followed by Lady Heightmeyer and Teyla spared a moment to straighten her back as Elizabeth had done.

"Your name, server?" Lady Heightmeyer asked.

"Teyla Emmagan."

"Teyla, would you fetch some clean sheets for the bed in this room and ask the head of house to arrange someone to clean in here."

"Yes, my lady," Teyla said and quickly left the room. She hesitated outside. She'd only spent a few minutes with Elizabeth, but she was afraid for the girl and hoped she'd be able to spend time alone with her soon.

~*~

Ronon had stopped and leaned against the wall to watch Elizabeth as Kate dismissed the server girl. She was beautiful, he'd give Sheppard that. Young and innocent, but sadly for her, she'd been trained to be a man's play thing, and he didn't like that idea. Not in the slightest. People, regardless of their genes, should not be put in this position, and from where he stood, the position she was in had frightened the life out of her.

He had accepted her from Sheppard because he'd been taught never to turn away a gift; the giver could see it as an insult. Thing was, he found her very job an insult and at the same time he wanted to be the man to bring her out of her childhood.

"Please stand," Kate said. He knew that tone well. After growing up with her as a close friend, he'd gotten used to knowing when she was upset, hurt, or even offering sympathy, as she was now.

In the few minutes it had taken to learn what exactly Sheppard needed and expected in return, he had discovered how old Elizabeth was and just how long she'd been trained to be a concubine. It amused him slightly that a girl's training taught her only by word from other women what to expect when she actually climbed into a man's bed. Elizabeth slowly moved to her feet and he could see she was unsure whose command she was to follow here.

Kate exchanged a look with him as Elizabeth shifted fluidly into a stance much the same as when she had been kneeling. It annoyed him. He wanted to see her, talk to her, listen to her voice and above all learn who she could have been. He took her in as Kate pulled out her note book and began scribbling things down. For sixteen, she was tall, slender, and extremely fair skinned. It made him curious about the people of Atlantis. Did any of them venture into the sunlight? Her hair fell in ringlets against her shoulders and he watched the side of her face battle to keep its passiveness as her fear threatened to overwhelm her.

"Ronon," Kate said and he turned to quirk a brow at her. "You're the main reason she's so frightened right now. Ronon's other brow rose. She had a point. Not only did this girl belong to him, so far he'd just stared at her. He nodded to the door, which caused Kate's brows to rise and he couldn't help the smile that the action caused. She turned and moved closer to him. "You're not..."

"No," he said. "I want to talk to her."

"You?" Kate said and the grin slowly spread across her face. "Talk?"

"Out," he said and she laughed before leaving the room.

He knew her too well to think she'd go far. Chances were, she'd take a seat on the bench down the corridor and continue to make her notes while waiting to be allowed back in. He watched Elizabeth stiffen as the door closed and waited for just a moment before he moved over and sat down on the bed in front of her. She'd managed to settled her face, burying her fear down in the pit of her stomach, if not lower. Her downcast eyes made him all the more curious to see them and he reached out and tipped her chin up just slightly.

"You don't need to fear me, Elizabeth. You are not a slave here."

She looked at him, for just a moment, a falter in her pose, and he felt his heart sink at the sight of her green eyes. No one on Sateda had green for an eye colour and the tease of a glance she'd given him brought on the craving for more.

"Elizabeth," he said softly. "Please look at me."

She looked up again and his whole body reacted. His heart jumped into his throat and he swallowed hard again against it. He'd never found a woman so beautiful in his life, and the intelligence he found behind the fear was intriguing. Fighting off the urge to lean in and kiss her, he reached out with a shaking hand and ran his fingers tenderly over her cheek. Bringing it back almost too quickly, he scrubbed it down his own face before looking back at her.

"I don't want you to kneel anymore," he said. "No kneeling, no downcast eyes. They are far too beautiful to always look at the floor."

For a moment, she said nothing. "Thank you, my lord."

"This room is yours," he continued. "You may do with it whatever you please. I will send a server to you. She will be here to do as you ask. In the very next room," he continued, turning to point at the wall to the next room. "You'll find my chambers. You can come to me whenever you wish and while we are in these rooms," he said stopping as she looked away embarrassed at the idea of going into his private room. He had to tip her chin to get her took at him again. "While we are in these rooms, my name is Ronon."

Her brow creased and she dropped her head instantly. He caught the tear that ran down her cheek before she slipped back down to her knees on the rug.

"It's not my place," she whispered and he watched as she retook her pose. Ten years of training would not be easy to break. She'd been taught she was nothing more than a servant. Nothing more than a thing to be used and played with. Nothing more than the dregs of her society, simply because she didn't have the gene her parents obviously did have.

"You have a new place," he said moving off the bed to grab her arm and force her to her feet. He knew he was being too rough, but there was no other way to do it. She had to learn she wasn't something that belonged on the floor. She let out a sob as he released her arm and he instantly wished he had left her down on the ground. "There are no concubines on Sateda. Not even my servers kneel for me. I will not have it," he said keeping his voice low and calm. "You're frightened," he said more as a fact than a question and reached up to scrub at his face again. He didn't know what to do next. The only women he'd dealt with in his life had all been equal to him or in his company for moments at a time. She was neither of those things.

He turned to the door, and before he managed to place his hand on the handle, he knew she was back on the rug on her knees. Frustrated, he left the room. Predictably, Kate was waiting outside, leaning against the wall a few feet from the door. The server from before standing beside her with fresh linen in her hand.

"Please tell me you didn't hurt her," Kate said and he knew the frustration was clearly written on his face. Ronon turned away and knew that Kate's hesitation had been between following him and seeing to Elizabeth. It was only a few moments later that she caught him up several hallways on. "Ronon."

He stopped and turned sharply to her. "They have destroyed anything she may have become. They took away her life, her personality."

"We just have to teach her again. She's still young."

"Can you teach her to be a queen?" Kate stopped dead at that as Ronon moved a few steps on and paused at the door at the end of the corridor. He kicked it sharply, feeling slightly better that the wood split just a little under the force. He turned to face Kate, leaning back against the door and watched the flicker of emotion and thought wash over her.

"She can't be your queen."

"Why not?"

"Where do I begin? She's a slave, she shouldn't even be in the room she's in. Ronon, think about this. If you make a queen of her, you'll be accepting that alliance. You won't be able to tell them no."

"I can't tell them no," he shouted. He took a deep breath. "They're right. They are the only people with the technology to stop the Wraith and we both know that the silence they've given us won't last forever."

"She's been here for half an hour. I put her in that room to give her time to relax before I place her in the head of house's care. She's nothing more than a server girl and, yes, while I think she needs to learn a few lessons to re-train her how to behave, there is no way you can take her as your wife."

"I can't," he said. "I can't have her here, if I can't have her as my wife."

"Ronon, you just met her," Kate said. Ronon kicked at the door as he moved away and paused at Kate's side.

"Teach her what you want. Maybe you'll find the strong woman and intelligent brain I saw through her eyes. She has the potential and she has the capacity to understand the responsibility." He couldn't bring himself to tell her to send Elizabeth away, so he moved past her and headed for the main doors of the castle. He needed to get out.


	2. Chapter 2

John shot through the corridor and round the corner at the end. The quiet of the city was always worrying for him and today was particularly daunting. He skidded to a halt outside the transporter and thumped the control panel. A second later the lights above him flickered and went out.

"Crap," he said before quickly shading his eyes as the light flooded the hall again. He reached for the panel again when the city shook, rumbling under his feet. "Not now," he begged the walls before thumping the control panel and practically diving into the transporter. He was out the doors at the other end before they were fully open and sprinted up the stairs to the control room. "What the hell's going on?"

"The Wraith are back," Lorne said, his sidearm already held out for John to take. "Obviously, they haven't got our message yet."

"We don't like pillagers," John said sarcastically taking the offered gun. "Rodney?"

"Jumpers are in the air, gun turrets are manned, shield is up and as of right.... now, we have full power to the chair."

"Wonderful, you might keep your head yet."

"Funny," Rodney said, "I was just referring to you as the queen of hearts." John turned and glared at him knowing only too well he felt like he'd just sold Alice to the highest bidder and somehow, somewhere along the line, it was the biggest mistake he'd ever made. He didn't doubt that Carson hadn't trained Elizabeth well enough, he just knew her parents and where they stood in the hierarchy on their planet. If Elizabeth ever found out, or worse, King Ronon found out, he could find himself on the end of a very short leash that had Atlantis under the control of another man.

"What are they doing?"

"We don't know," Lorne said. "They just settled into orbit. No activity since."

John stood staring at the monitor that showed the three hive ships sitting in orbit. The lack of activity scared the life out of him. What could they possibly be waiting for? An invitation?

"Is sixteen hours too soon to go back and ask if they've decided on the alliance?"

"Considering he said three days, yes," McKay said sourly.

"Then I guess we play the waiting game," he said with a deep sigh.

~*~

After Lady Heightmeyer had followed the king from the room, Teyla had made her way quickly to the chambers to check on Elizabeth. By the look on the king's face, things hadn't gone how he'd hoped, though for the life of her, Teyla couldn't figure out what he had hoped for from a girl so young and so well trained. As she opened the door, it occurred to her that he had used her in just the way she was trained for, a thought that scared Teyla slightly.

She stepped in to find Elizabeth curled up on the floor, tears streaking down her face and her arms crossed over her stomach. She dropped the linen on the table and knelt down behind the girl and carefully laid a hand on her side.

"Elizabeth," she said softly.

"I want to go home," she said, in more of a whimper than anything else. "Please," she begged.

"I cannot help you. Perhaps you are just tired. You have had a taxing day. Tomorrow, you will find it is not so bad here."

Elizabeth let out a whimper as Teyla got up. She hesitated for a moment. She could work around Elizabeth, leave her on the ground while she sorted the room, but somehow that seemed unkind. Reaching down, she uncurled Elizabeth's arm from her stomach.

"Come on. The floor cannot be comfortable." She managed to get Elizabeth up and sitting in a chair at the table before she started to make the bed for her. She checked on the girl frequently, afraid she'd crumble or attempt to slip out of the room when she wasn't looking.

When she'd finished, she busied herself with the rest of the room, making sure things were in place and everything was clean for the new occupant. She was ready to sit down with Elizabeth and had taken a few steps towards the table when the door opened and Lady Heightmeyer came in. Stopping where she stood, Teyla dropped her arms behind her back and waited to see if she would be dismissed.

Kate moved in and set down a plate of food for Elizabeth, who, in the time Teyla had been busy, seemed to have settled a little more into her surroundings. Though she didn't look up at Kate, nor did she reach out for the plate, but instead, she kept her eyes fixed on a spot on the table and face passive for inspection. The door opened a moment later and two servers stepped in, one with drinks and a plate of bread and the other with a few dresses and other clothing items.

"Thank you," Kate said to the girls, who bowed curiously and left the room. Teyla moved to follow them, but Kate reached out for her. "Teyla, please remain."

She gave a short nod and moved back to the spot she had just vacated. Stealing a glance at the dresses, she creased her brow and turned back to the table. The clothes that had been brought in were more the sort Lady Heightmeyer might wear, not the server girls and certaintly not a girl whose only use was in the bedroom.

When she took in Elizabeth's pose at the table, she realised the girl had straightened again, sitting almost pristinely in her standard pose. The only difference now, was the fear and tiredness that showed on her face.

"Have you and Teyla been talking?" Kate asked. "She's almost as unfamiliar with this palace as you are." Kate nudged the bread plate closer to Elizabeth and Teyla couldn't stop from smiling as Elizabeth took a piece. "Are you considered a slave in Atlantis?"

"I don't believe so, my lady."

"Do they pay you to train as a concubine? Would they have given you payment for the services you provide?"

"No," Elizabeth said honestly. "I was always taught it was just my place in life."

Kate nodded. "Teyla, will you please tell Elizabeth what you will receive this evening for your services here?"

"I am given three gold coins for my day, a warm meal, and a room for the night, should I require one."

Elizabeth's eyes shot up to study her face and Teyla gave her a nod to show she wasn't lying about the payment.

"Would you like to have your own money, Elizabeth?" The shock and fear that rushed from Elizabeth's head to her toes was enough to make Teyla take a step back.

"No," she said sharply. "It would be wrong. I was always taught that anything I would require would be provided and that food and a bed should be enough for me."

"But your training means nothing here," Kate said. "You will not be used as a concubine, Elizabeth." Kate leaned forward on the table, taking in the young woman's expression. Teyla couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be told you were useless, and she hoped Kate had something in mind for her. Her eyes were drawn again to the bed and the clothes resting there. "By the kings request, you are not a server here. It might take some time, but between us, Teyla and I will teach you to be Lady Elizabeth."

~*~

John tapped his fingers on the console in front of him. Nothing had changed for hours and it was making him more and more edgy. It wasn't normal for the Wraith to just sit there. Invited or not, they would do something - send a bomb, attempt to get in, bombard the shields with weapons fire until Atlantis ran out of power. But for them to just appear and sit silently on the sidelines was completely unheard of. He turned, took in the people in the room, equally on edge and just as curious about the Wraith's activities, and not one of them was delusional enough to think nothing would happen. As he turned back, the gate began to dial and a moment passed before Chuck finally moved from his perch to find out what was going on.

"It's incoming," he said. "We have no one off-world."

'Except Elizabeth,' John thought. He shook it off instantly and turned around to watch the gate as the shields went up. The gate connected and John rubbed at his jaw, waiting to see what would happen next.

"We're receiving a video transmission."

"Show me," John said, turning back to watch the monitor switch from scanners to video.

"Sheppard," King Dex said, making John jump slightly. "Can I visit?"

"No refunds, your majesty."

"Ha, you think I'd return someone so beautiful?"

John smiled then twisted on the spot. "Chuck, let the King of Sateda in."

"Yes, sir," Chuck said. A second later the shield was down and John was jogging down the stairs to greet his guest.

Unsurprisingly, Ronon Dex didn't come alone, three of his guards were with him, along with two servants and all of them looked around astonished at the sight of the city of Atlantis.

"Welcome to Atlantis," John said with a slight bow. "You'll have to excuse me if I don't let you stay long. We have three Wraith visitors in orbit, and I wouldn't want you to get caught in any cross fire that may or may not start any second."

Ronon's brow went up. "They're just sitting there?"

"Yeah, been there for a few hours now. So what brings you to my humble neck of the woods?"

"Information gathering. Wanted to see this city. Where would you like to start?"

"If I may, you are welcome to a tour any time, but today just might be a bad choice."

"Agreed," Dex acknowledged with a nod. "Then perhaps for now we can just sit in private and talk."

"Right this way," John said, indicating the main stairwell up and then leading him to the conference room. He gave Rodney a warning stare as the man moved to join them and was thankful when none of the Kings travelling companions joined them. He shut the door, offered the king a seat, and then took his place at the head of the table.

"I want to know more about Elizabeth."

If John had been expecting anything, it wouldn't have been that. Information in the middle of an alliance exchange was usually more towards the details of what was needed and why. But to ask about a concubine was just...

"What would you like to know?"

"Her family. How she was trained. Who trained her?"

John swallowed. There was nothing worse than an inquisitive owner and that's just what he had on his hands. There were far too many details about Elizabeth Weir that he longed to avoid telling anyone. Top of that list was the members of her family. It was considered an embarrassment for the family in question to have a child without the gene.

"Sadly, I can't divulge the information about her family," he said, hoping that he would accept that, at least for now. "But I can introduce you to the man who trained her. He'd happily answer any questions you have about her services," he paused to smile at the man before reaching up to activate his earpiece. "Carson, could you please join me in the conference room ASAP."

 _"On my way."_

"Anything else I can help you with?" He'd never wanted to hear a 'no' so much in his life.

Dex leaned forward on the desk, staring John in the eye. "You're not telling me something about her," he said, his tone low and deadly. "I want to know who she is. Consider it a part of our alliance."

John didn't know how to answer that. It took his brain a few minutes to come up with a reasonable answer, and it was just at that moment that the door opened and Carson Beckett stepped into the room.

"I'll have to look her heritage up for you," he said calmly. "In the meantime, Carson Beckett was Elizabeth's trainer. He will be able to help you more than I will," John gave a sharp bow and left the room as quickly as possible. He crossed over to the control room and paused beside Rodney. "There is no possible way today could get any worse. Unless Carson knows who Elizabeth's parents are."

"I would think you'd be more worried about him knowing who her brother is," Rodney said.

John gave him a sour look. "Not helping, McKay."

~*~

> Elizabeth snuggled deeper into her brother's arms. He was safe and he'd never let anything happen to her. He always promised it and in the last few days he'd been right there telling her it would be all right. She didn't understand what was wrong that he could possibly put right, other than the fact that she was hot and then cold and then hot again and all she wanted to do was cry or sleep. Right now, she couldn't sleep. Her parents were in the next room, arguing or, as they liked to tell her, talking loudly.
> 
> It prevented her from sleeping and with the pain in her head and the temperature in the room she didn't feel good. She whimpered, bringing a hand up to rub at her eye, but her brother stopped her, shushed her and held her closer.
> 
> "I know," he said carefully. "Seems they're doing this a lot recently. I'd take you to the play area if you were well, but you're not," he said and kissed her forehead. He shifted, pulling the blanket tighter around her and up enough to cover her ears. "Just sleep, Elizabeth, they'll be finished soon."
> 
> She couldn't sleep and she shuddered as her temperature shifted abruptly from hot to cold. She didn't like the sensation it brought on and she started to cry instead.
> 
> "It's okay," he whispered just as the door opened. She settled to listen to the steps hoping her mother would take her soon, she wanted her warmth and comfort – not that her brother or father were bad at those things - she just wanted to be held by her mother. "What's going on?"
> 
> "It's for her own good, Son," her father said. "She can't stay here. They will come to collect her for training next week."
> 
> "I don't understand why she has to go either way."
> 
> "She wasn't born with the activation gene, she'll be raised as a slave if we don't take her to the orphanage now." He sighed, and she wondered who they were talking about. "I know it's hard, but you have to be strong. She'll have more freedom in the orphanage. She'll be able to play with other children and they will look after her."
> 
> "She's only five," he said. "I promised her _I'd_ look after her." She started to cry again as her brothers voice wavered uncomfortably.
> 
> "I'm sorry," her father said. "There's no other way. Give her here and go look after your mother."
> 
> For a moment, his arms tightened around her and she felt his cheek press against hers. Warm against her cold chills. He pressed a kiss there and whispered to her that he was sorry and he'd keep his promise eventually. Then she was jostled and handed to her father. He kissed her with a soft 'be safe' and then handed her to someone else she didn't know. The stranger turned away and Elizabeth opened to her eyes to look over their shoulder as they left the house.
> 
> "No," she cried, tears streaming down her face and she watched as her brother turned away. "Daddy," she called begging him not to send her away. She hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't deserve the punishment like she had before.
> 
> It was a long journey with the stranger, and when she hadn't cried herself to sleep, she sat crying and begging to go home. The man shushed her, soothed her, and whispered his apologies, but nothing he said or did would make her feel better. When they arrived at the building, she settled for a moment as he told another woman that he'd found her somewhere and that she had a fever. She was handed over again and the smiling face of a pretty woman came into view. She could hear the man's footsteps as he walked away and her last connection with home left with him.
> 
> She was given medicine for days and asked questions about who she was and if she knew where she was from. All she could tell them was that she was Elizabeth and she was five and that her daddy had sent her away, then the memory of it would return and she'd sit crying for her mother again. It was a few weeks before she was taken to another home, filled with children who wanted to play with her and adults who tried to encourage her. But she didn't want to. She wanted to go home, she wanted to play with her brother and go shopping with her mother.
> 
> It was several months before she made any friends and slowly started to join in with the games and lessons, and for the year she stayed in the children's home, she remembered the events of that day, but the picture of her family in her mind slowly faded as she started to forget what they looked like. She tried hard each day not to forget them.
> 
> It was over a year later when they were gathered into a room, two men stood waiting at the other end and they were told they were important men from Atlantis. They'd learned of the city in their lessons, how it was on the outskirts of the next galaxy and the only way to travel there was through the Stargate. These two men were in charge of the city and they'd come to pick a child to take to Atlantis and try to teach them how to live there.
> 
> They were lined up against the wall and the men walked along the line. Elizabeth studied one of them, familiar and friendly but she couldn't place him. As they walked back, he paused in front of her and she smiled at him wondering if she was as familiar to him as he to her.
> 
> "This one." His deep voice seemed to betray her familiarity of him and he walked away as her friends gathered around her to say their goodbyes.
> 
> After a moment in the crowd, one of the adults picked her up and she watched her friends as she was carried away. Then another of the adults asked a question and a round of loud 'me's' followed. She was sat on the chair by the large doors to the building and another woman crouched down in front of her.
> 
> "Elizabeth," she said. "You're going to come live in Atlantis." Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "I'm going to look after you until we get there, my name is Samantha."
> 
> "Is it far?"
> 
> "No," Samantha said. "Just a few hours by jumper then you just walk through the Stargate."
> 
> "Is it scary?"
> 
> "The Stargate?" Samantha asked and Elizabeth nodded. "Nah, and you won't feel a thing." She gave her a smile just as her carer arrived with a bag and something wrapped carefully in red paper.
> 
> "Good luck, Elizabeth," her carer said, handing over the wrapped parcel and giving Samantha her bag. Then she was led from the room and out to the small ship where she was strapped into one of the big chairs up front.
> 
> "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain, John Sheppard. Our flying time is two hours thirteen minutes, with bathroom breaks," he said giving her a playful grin. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the Jumper at all times. Next stop. Atlantis."


	3. Chapter 3

As Elizabeth woke the next morning, she became aware that someone else was in the room. Movement behind her was soft and careful as if the person was trying hard not to make too much noise. The sound of the door opening wasn't as gentle and neither were the other two pairs of feet that stepped into the room. The sounds of scraping chairs and plates suggested someone was cleaning up last night's meal and possibly leaving breakfast.

She kept her eyes closed and stayed as still as possible. She hadn't quite worked out what to make of this place, or her role here. According to Lady Heightmeyer, Elizabeth was being labelled with much the same regard she was, only not quite so high status. She had been told that Teyla was her server, specific to Elizabeth's needs, though she had other tasks to attend to during the day, when presumably Elizabeth would have something else to do. Though at the moment, she couldn't picture doing anything but waiting patiently to be called forth. Just as she'd been taught.

She missed Carson, the stable routine he had for her and the friendly smile that showed she was doing things perfectly. She missed her room on Atlantis. Though it was a shared room with three other women, she was warmer there and far more comfortable with the early morning noises. The daily routine she'd been taught from such a young age flittered through her mind. Wash and dress, breakfast was brought to them, then while the others ventured off to the city's gardens or libraries, Elizabeth would make her way to a room on the lower levels where Carson would be ready and waiting to teach her.

In the beginning, it had been posturing and reading lessons. She'd sit on her knees for hours on end with her hands clasped behind her back and her head up. If she moved or faltered, she'd be corrected with a smack to the back of her neck that stung for several minutes after. She'd always wondered about her mild chastisements, as the older women in the dormitory often told stories of how they were punished with a ruler - or worse - by their trainer.

By the time she was ten, her lessons had changed to etiquette, learning how to address nobles on other planets and the hierarchy of Atlantis. She remembered the times men and women had been asked to attend so she could practice her skills. She clearly remembered that the first two men she'd been tested with were the highest two authorities of the city. She'd bitten her nails off with nerves that morning, having been told that John Sheppard and Rodney McKay had offered to be her first tests. Carson had tried to tell her she didn't need to be so worried, no one would punish her for mistakes this time.

"Elizabeth?" Teyla's voice was close and made her jump. The woman gave a small laugh. "I am sorry; I did not mean to startle you." Elizabeth sighed and rolled onto her back to look up at the woman. "Lady Heightmeyer will be here within an hour to start your lessons. You should wash, eat, and then we can select one of your new dresses to try on."

"I remember what it's like to wear a dress," Elizabeth said, pushing the covers aside so she could get out of bed, "but I'm used to wearing the skirt and strap top."

"The dress is not the biggest worry," Teyla said with a smile. "Women here customarily wear undergarments too."

Elizabeth felt herself blush as she vanished into the adjoining bathroom. Last night Teyla had helped her into her night dress and discovered that concubines wore no underwear at all. Elizabeth had explained that she was expected to be at her master's call without fail and silly underwear would only get in the way of that task. It had been a very uncomfortable conversation, one she shouldn't have been unable to talk about with anyone.

She washed and ate breakfast quickly while Teyla fussed around the room straightening the bed and other things. It wasn't until she opened the cupboard where her new clothes were stored that Elizabeth found herself very afraid of wearing something so elaborate. She imagined what Sheppard or Carson would say if they found her in such an article of clothing and quickly looked around for her old garments.

"Where is my skirt and top?" she asked not seeing them anywhere in the room.

"Lady Heightmeyer asked me to take them to her when you were asleep. You will not be needing them again."

She couldn't put a name to the emotion that flooded her - disgrace maybe or anger. All she knew is that something she was used to had been stripped away from her without her knowledge. She suspected it wouldn't be the last time, but that didn't stop the feeling from boiling up inside her.

"I'd like my clothes back," she said calmly.

"Elizabeth."

"No," she interrupted any protest Teyla would offer. "My duty is to the king, my service is for his pleasure, and I cannot do my job without the garments I arrived in."

Teyla's eyes flicked to the side and Elizabeth turned to find Lady Heightmeyer standing in the doorway. Shamed at her outburst and selfishness, she slipped down to the ground and took her standard pose. It felt odd to kneel in a night shirt that covered her stomach and dropped halfway down her calves, but she did it nonetheless.

"Well at least you're in higher voice this morning," Kate said. "I cannot let you wander the palace and grounds in your old clothing. People will know what you were meant for. I need you to dress as befits your new status."

"My status," she said bitterly, "Is the king's concubine."

"And as I have told you, there are no concubines on this planet. You are no longer a concubine. You have been freed."

"Have you never wondered what it was like to dress as ladies do?" Teyla asked. "Many times when I was a child, I dreamed of wearing long gowns with lace and frills. Ball gowns for parties and dancing with men dressed as though they were kings."

"I am not a child anymore."

"From what I understand of concubines," Kate said moving further into the room and pulling out a dress from the cupboard. "You are not an adult until you have serviced."

Elizabeth let her head drop to her chest. Kate was right, there were no adult concubines who had not spent a night in a man's bed. It simply wasn't done that way. She only had one man to serve here and so far, he had stayed away.

"Then I wish to see the king," she said bravely. If he would not come to her, then she would go to him.

Kate hung the dress back in the cupboard and shut the door sharply. A flurry of movement followed and the sounds of plates and cups clanging together followed. The door opened and closed again and daringly, Elizabeth raised her head. She'd been left alone, perhaps she'd shown them enough determination to do as she'd asked. Frightened, but determined, she stripped out of the night dress, folded it neatly on the sofa at the other end of the room and slipped under the sheets to wait.

~*~

"You want me to what?" Ronon asked. He'd stepped back through the gate to find Kate waiting for him.

"I'm not saying use her, just talk to her; show her you want her to be more than Atlantis taught her to be. Tell her you have a grand plan for her."

"I don't," he admitted turning another corner. "I just know I want her to be Sateda's Queen."

"That sounds like a grand plan to me, and an extremely far-fetched one at this moment, wouldn't you say?" He stopped and turned to face her. "Look, for now, we just need to drop her training. We need to get her into some real clothes and find something for her to do that doesn't involve losing her virginity just to prove she's an adult who knows what she wants."

"She's determined?" He asked and Kate nodded. "So what am I likely to find when I go in there?"

Kate took a moment to reply. "She'll probably, almost completely, throw herself at you."

"Almost?"

"Yeah, you have a sixteen year old concubine who was accidentally reminded that she wasn't an adult until she'd had sex and then demanded to see you."

"I swear, Kate, if I go in there and she's naked, I will find a way to punish you for this."

"So long as you talk her into following my lessons, and learning that she is more than some plaything. Hell, if you can do that, I might just be able to give you a pretty young queen with green eyes."

Ronon growled. He didn't need this just now, a disobedient concubine who he didn't even want to be a concubine to begin with and now he was being forced, not only to deal with her, but to do so while she'd do anything to seduce him.

"How'd the info seeking go?" Kate asked, following him as he continued towards his chambers.

"Sheppard's hiding something about her past. He wouldn't tell me anything about her parents or where she'd come from." He turned the last corner and stopped just out of earshot of his guards and Teyla. "Spoke to the guy who trained her. He was honestly never told anything about her, just asked by Sheppard to go easy on her training."

"Why would he do that if she's just another random girl?"

"That's a good question."

"Maybe he knew her parents."

"Beckett said she was picked up at an orphanage when she was six, only four months into Sheppard's control over Atlantis. He checked on her progress every week." He shook his head. "The convoy from Aroth will be here in an hour. Can you make sure everything's ready?"

"Sure," Kate said and then tipped her chin down the corridor. "I've asked Teyla to stay close in case you need extra hands."

"You think I can't take on a feisty teenage girl?"

"I think your feelings for this particular one might just stop you from trying harsher methods."

Ronon barked out a laugh before turning towards the door. He nodded to Teyla as he passed, aware that she stood on the other side of the corridor and a little way off from the door. He paused at the door to the side chamber and turned to the guards.

"Wait at the end of the corridor," he ordered and waited as all four of them moved away. He glanced back at Teyla before opening the door to Elizabeth's room and stepping inside.

She wasn't nearly as quick to move as he would have suspected and he managed to watch as she shifted from sitting in the bed to kneeling with the sheets drawn loosely up to her chest. He looked around, spotting the item of clothing left on the chair and then examined her bare shoulders. She waited for him to move. He closed the door slowly and leaned against it watching her. She swallowed hard at one point and he could see she wasn't comfortable on her knees up on the bed, but he waited. When she didn't move for several minutes, he moved, crossing the room and picking up her night dress. He dropped it on the bed in front of her.

"What do you want, Elizabeth?"

"To be treated as I was taught to expect, majesty."

"I can't do that. No one here will do that."

"They why did you accept me from John Sheppard?"

"It's rude to turn down gifts," he said honestly. "And I don't like the idea of concubines. Women should be treated with the respect of their status, a status they earn, not learn."

"I was born this way," she said quietly. "I can't be anything else. I can't earn another status and I don't deserve to be given one."

He seized her chin harshly to force her to look at him and it made her jump. "There are no concubines here and I will not have them, which means I can give you whatever status I desire."

He knew he'd picked the wrong word instantly and he felt her shift just a little to let the covers fall away. She didn't look away from him, daring him to look down at her body, but he resisted. Undefeated, she smiled and then reached forward to run her hand up his thigh. The closer she got to his privates, the more the urge to flatten her on the bed and give her what she wanted rushed through him.

He caught her wrist a moment before she managed to reach her goal and twisted it back behind her, pulling her body close to his. The feel of her, young and firm, against him almost over-powered his will to beat her at the game. The fear in her eyes scared the life out of him, though, and he knew he'd gone too far. He released her, letting her drop back on the bed as he got up. He turned to look at her, just to make sure she wasn't hurt or too upset and couldn't resist running his eyes down the length of her body.

"I want to make a deal," he said picking up her night gown and arranging it so he could get her back into it. "I'll give you your womanhood, if you take the lessons from Kate to become a Lady of Sateda."

"What difference does it make if I take the lessons or not?" His brow creased as she turned away from him. "You obviously don't desire me."

The idea crossed his mind to rip his pants off and show her just how much he desired her was pushed aside when Elizabeth turned onto her front, giving him a wonderful view of her backside. He closed his eyes, dropping the gown to the floor as he did so, and took a deep breath before carefully moving forward and kneeling on the bed over her. He leaned down, his body pressed against hers so she could feel every part of him.

"You have no idea how much I want you," he breathed before placing a kiss on her shoulder. "But I don't want you like this. You deserve better, Elizabeth. You deserve to be treated better." He pressed his lips to her neck and ran his hands down her back as he lifted off her. He moved around to kneel on the bed and look at her.

"I will draw you to my bed when the time is right and when we both want it. Not," he said quickly stopping her. "Not when you think your training says it's right. Let Kate and Teyla teach you, wear the horrible dresses, and let people see how beautiful you can be." He leaned in close to her face, barely touching her ear with his lips. "Do it for your parents."

He stood up slowly, his discomfort slowing his movements as he turned and left the room. He paused outside as Teyla approached him and gave a short bow.

"Don't rush her into the dresses," he said. "If she wishes to lie for days as she is then let her. When she's ready, she'll ask for your help."

"Yes, my lord."

~*~

John swallowed hard as he stepped out of the Stargate onto Sateda. It had been almost two weeks since he'd set foot on this planet with a gift for the king and a request for an alliance. His scheduled return a few days after that had been delayed when the Wraith had attacked and all but destroyed the city. Picking up the pieces hadn't been easy and had only served to remind him just how desperately they needed this alliance.

They'd arrived early, by the King's request, prepared to sit down at a meal with him and his closest friends before the negotiations would begin. What confused John the most though, was the request to bring Carson along. Perhaps Elizabeth hadn't been the right choice and he wished Carson to know how much he'd failed in training her. Or perhaps he wished to return her and having Carson around would just show how much more powerful he was. He prayed he wouldn't find her broken and dismayed from her week and a half here. Seeing her like that would probably hurt just as much as the reminder that he'd drastically misjudged King Dex.

He turned the final corner and found himself standing in front of a set of large doors, more elaborate than the ones he'd seen on his first visit. He paused as the guards opened the doors and then straightened his shoulders and walked into the hall with as much confidence as he could muster.

The King was already seated lazily in his chair opposite the door. On one side of the table, the servers were laying the cutlery and first course of the meal and on the other side three women were gathered chatting quietly, though from the corner of his eye, he couldn't see any of them clearly. Behind the king stood a stern looking man, a look of distaste on his face and his arms crossed defensively over his chest.

"Sheppard," the king said beckoning him closer. "Take a seat," he added indicating the seat next to him along the side the servers were just finishing.

He moved along the table, Rodney behind him and Carson taking up the rear and paused by the seat to bow respectfully before reaching for his chair. He paused then. The women had separated, one of them quickly leaving the room as the other two moved over to the table. He blinked hard at the woman who moved to sit in the middle of the other side of the table, directly opposite Rodney. It wasn't possible; it had to be a trick.

The stern man passed almost completely unnoticed behind them and took the last seat without so much as a respectful nod and it wasn't until both the women gave their nods and took their seats that John realised he, Rodney, and Carson had been staring for just a moment too long.

"Elizabeth?" Carson said first and John caught the blush on her face at the tone he'd used. She clearly felt out of place here, caught, almost as though she wasn't sure she should be sitting at the table wearing a long white dress with deep red overlay.

"Is something wrong, gentlemen?" The King asked and as soon as Carson shifted on the spot, John knew something bad was about to happen.

"What's the meaning of this?" Carson demanded.

"Carson," John said in warning.

"I raised this girl, trained her to be the very best concubine, and you have her sitting here as though she is a Lady of the house."

"Carson," John said again, gritting his teeth to stop from shouting at the man to shut up and sit down.

"She's a slave, John, not a lady of any hierarchy."

John's eyes fell on Elizabeth, her head down from shame and her back just as straight as her training demanded. When he turned back to the King, he caught the motion that dismissed the two women and the man at the other end of the table. John watched as the guy got up and practically stormed out of the room while Lady Heightmeyer, now that he'd been able to see her properly, encouraged Elizabeth out of her chair and led her from the room.

"That's not true is it, Sheppard?" The king asked as the doors closed behind them. John didn't answer. "I asked you about her the day you brought her here. You told me only that she was the youngest on Atlantis and that she was still pure. I asked you of her heritage on Atlantis and you became very uncomfortable with the question. Master Beckett here," he indicated Carson at the end of the table. "Told me that you took her from an orphanage only weeks after you became the leader of Atlantis and that you instructed him to be gentle with her. I also learned from that visit that you would check on her often."

John shifted, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

"I started to wonder," Ronon continued. "Why would the leader of a great city such as Atlantis, have any interest in a slave being trained as a concubine. Couldn't figure it out. Until Kate and I started asking Elizabeth questions about her family. Don't suppose," he said getting up and starting to walk down the empty side of the table. "It would shock you to know she doesn't remember much, only that she was ill and her brother had been caring for her when a man had come to take her away."

He circled the table, passing Carson and Rodney as he went and stopped, just as he finished, standing behind John.

"She can't remember her brother's name, or anything about her parent's job, but she did remember that her father was important and he was rarely home."

"I think it's time to go," John said turning towards the main door. He expected the king to stop him, and he was almost at the door when he stopped dead.

"I intend to marry her, John." Ronon said. Carson instantly bristled and John held up a hand to waylay any protests. "So tell me, am I right? Will that change everything on Atlantis, or am I wrong and it will do nothing."

"I forbid it," John said sharply.

"On what grounds?"

"You know very well..."

"That Elizabeth is your sister?" Ronon laughed and crossed the gap between them to stand close to John. "That would make your parents her parents. Which means, had she been born with the gene, she would be working at your side, instead of Rodney McKay. Because her parents were the previous leaders of Atlantis. It would also give me the right to seize your city. My right as the king accepting an alliance, as our customs state."

Ronon turned away and for a while all John could do was watch the king walk across the room to the other door. As the door closed John turned to find Carson gawping at him; the only other person who had known who she really was had been Rodney and in the beginning, John had found it hard to tell the man the whole story.

He needed time to think, but there was no way he could just abandon these talks. Atlantis needed the food and medical supplies and Sateda was the only place able to give those to Atlantis. They were stuck here until John could work this out.


	4. Chapter 4

Kate had been worried that the comments in the hall would force Elizabeth to regress back to her concubine training and as she led her from the room, she wondered if it was just a matter of time before she found the girl on her knees again. Instead, Elizabeth calmly took a seat on the bench outside the door and took a deep breath.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy for them to accept," Kate offered and Elizabeth gave a small nod.

"I thought Carson would have been happier and Sheppard would have done the shouting." She gave a nervous laugh and they slipped into silence for a while, listening to the muffled conversation that managed to sneak through the doors.

When they opened again, Kate stood, her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and the fear of regression returned. She watched as Carson, Rodney, and John left the room. They were a few paces down the corridor when John paused to look back at them and her forehead wrinkled with the look of hope he'd given Elizabeth.

"Come on," Kate said and they stepped back into the room. Ronon was leaning against the table, his back to the door when they entered. "So?"

"If they leave, then the alliance is over," Ronon said, barely glancing over his shoulder. "And it's been forbidden."

"The alliance has been forbidden?" Elizabeth asked quietly. She wasn't yet used to speaking up in front of the king, but she was perfectly comfortable speaking to Kate. Ronon must have heard something as he stood up sharply and turned to them. For a moment he seemed to just stand and watch them, then he moved, circling the table to stop in front of Elizabeth.

"Something else was forbidden, something only Sheppard has the right to deny."

"Can he deny my new status?" she asked and Kate could hear a touch of worry in her voice. It sparked a massive amount of curiosity to know if she was afraid of becoming a concubine again or going back to Atlantis. Though either way she would be returned to her horrible garments. Ronon was ready to answer when a server stopped just inside the room.

"The guests from Atlantis are requesting rooms, majesty."

"Then find them somewhere to stay and send Sheppard back down here."

"Yes, majesty." The server vanished quickly from the room.

"I will not let him deny your status. I will not let him take you back to Atlantis," he said softly.

"Thank you," she breathed, barely audible to their sensitive hearing.

"I'll have servers bring food to you in the main garden," Ronon added. "I need to talk to Sheppard alone right now."

Kate nodded and ushered Elizabeth out of the room. She had a feeling today was going to be a very long and horrible day and a chance of tears from their young lady was high on the cards. She turned out of the main room and led Elizabeth out to the main entryway and through to the gardens.

"Promise me something," Kate said when they stopped by the table. "When you're with them, you will hold yourself, even if you're alone. Keep your head up and look them in the eye. They don't own you anymore, Elizabeth. You can look at them."

"I will," she said without hesitation.

~*~

Elizabeth found she loved to sit by the lake in the entry grounds of the castle. The clear blue water and gentle stream that ran off one side of it made her feel completely relaxed. She'd discovered the spot a few days ago on a walk around the grounds, the first she'd done outside of the palace instead of just around the halls with Teyla and Kate. So far she'd only managed to come here once before, and she was thankful that both Kate and Teyla had agreed to leave her alone.

She knew Kate well enough to guess she'd be worried about how to take the comments from her trainer and from the others from Atlantis. But sitting here, she couldn't let them bother her. John Sheppard had given her to the king on another planet. It was too late for him to take that back now. She no longer belonged to him or anyone on their planet. And even if he were to steal her and take her back, she'd fight him every step of the way and then refuse to do anything, no matter what they did to her in return.

Strange as it felt to be here, to be told she could be a Lady of court and that the only two people above her status were Kate herself and the King, she felt at home here. The King, despite being absent from her company so often, was never horrible to her and the moments they had spent together had been fun and... floaty. Unless of course they were alone, then things would take a somewhat more flirtatious direction.

The last time she'd been alone with him, she had been left in no doubt he was interested in her for more than just the sex she should be giving him. The conversation had been on her lessons while distance between them had degraded until he was kissing her and hands had been learning bodies; he'd more daringly drew up her skirt so he could touch the skin of her back and thighs. He'd apologised and left the room quickly. There was no doubt for either of them that sooner or later they'd have to avoid being alone together.

She couldn't honestly say she was in love with him. She was just sixteen and the only men she'd known in her life had been... well, Carson. She hadn't the faintest idea what love really was, just the things she'd heard from others and read in books. But she did know that each morning she woke up hoping Ronon would speak with her that day, at the very least.

"Elizabeth?" Elizabeth turned slowly from the lake to look at Teyla. "I have said your name three times already."

"Sorry," she said easily. "Lost in thought."

"Perhaps you can share them with me later," Teyla teased, knowing only too well where Elizabeth's mind wondered to lately. "The King has requested we join him and Master Sheppard in his chambers."

Her brow creased instantly. She'd never been invited to his room before, though she was somewhat thankful John Sheppard and Teyla would be there – more so that Teyla was going with her. She got up, keeping her head up and walked with Teyla back to the castle and up to Ronon's private chambers.

She expected his chambers to be much like her own, divided only by a stone wall, but instead she found his chambers were vastly different. For a start, what she suspected was on the other side of one wall in her room was his bedroom, was actually a sitting area.

"So why do the Wraith leave you alone?" John asked. He had been seated comfortably when she stepped in and quickly got to his feet. She could see the flicker of uncertainty on his face, not sure if he should stand for her as a Lady or remain seated, because to him, she is simply a slave. Another door at the back of the room lay open and she could see Ronon's bed on the other side of it.

"I have a suspicion that someone in this household has a deal with them. I just need to work out who and then..." Ronon paused as he stepped out and caught sight of her, "why." She gave a gentle curtsey, not quite as low as Teyla, but with just as much respect in the action, and then stood waiting for the invitation to sit. It didn't come, and she didn't find it at all strange. In fact, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to sit. The King glanced to her side and Elizabeth felt Teyla retreat a few steps to stand near the door. It made her feel very vulnerable and very much on display. Ronon seemed to hesitate for a moment then he moved towards her, stopping bare inches away and reached up to tip her chin a little more towards his face.

"The things we're going to tell you, Elizabeth," he stopped to lick his lips and she found herself longing for a kiss. "They might upset you. But I don't want you to walk away until you've heard everything, okay?"

"Yes, my lord."

He lingered for a moment more, pushing the desire for a kiss just a little further into her heart before he turned and moved to stand beside a tapestry on the wall. Unsure what to do next, she let her fingers fiddle with the edges of the lace coat she wore over her plain white dress. A few minutes passed before John cleared his throat and sat back down on the sofa.

"Elizabeth, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna get it over with." He paused there and she wondered if he was waiting for a reply. "I was there, the day you were taken from your parents," he said. Her brow creased. If she remembered something of that day it was the man who took her - older, greying and smelling strongly of non-perfumed soap, a far cry from John Sheppard. "I held you, in my arms," he said getting back up. "And I watched that man walk out the door with you."

The memory of looking over the man's shoulder at her brother flashed across her vision and her body stiffened quickly. The look on John's face was almost exactly the same defeated and hurt look she'd seen on her brother ten years ago. John took a step forward and she instinctively took a step back. Behind her, Teyla moved uncertainly, waiting for a cue to stop her fleeing or crumbling to the ground – either option looked good about now.

"Elizabeth..."

"You're my brother?" The waver in her voice betrayed it as more of a statement than a question.

"Elizabeth..." he tried again, now no longer worried about her response but pleading for her to understand. But she already understood.

"You let them take me away and stick me in an orphanage," she said, her voice calmer than her body and mind felt. "You came back a year later and took me to Atlantis to turn me into a slave."

"No," he said, but there was no way she couldn't see that as a lie.

"Yes," she said, voice now rising a little, disgusted that he could tell the fib so easily.

"I was in Atlantis when the decision to take you and make you a concubine was made," he said, now furious that she had no idea what he went through. "Our father did nothing, Elizabeth. Nothing to stop them. I begged them while he walked out the door to carry on with his job. I hated him for weeks. I kept you away from him for weeks until you became ill. And then one of his old friends showed up and I knew he was giving you up."

He seemed to settle for a moment but his anger and pain seemed to pass to her and she felt the tears rush down her cheeks. A motion from the king caught her eye, but she didn't turn to look at him and a moment later, Teyla's hand was on her back to show her support.

"I had no choice," John almost pleaded. "I was in Atlantis every day after they took you from me, looking through transport records trying to figure out where you'd been taken. It took me seven months to find the hospital you went to and then a month to talk them into telling me where you went from there." He took a step forward, reaching out as though he wanted to touch her. "I became so obsessed with finding you that I had no choice but to tell Rodney what I was doing and why and he convinced me that bringing you to Atlantis was a better option, that there was no way the council's last act would be to appoint you as concubine."

She let out a sob as he closed the gap between them, his hand lingering on her arm.

"I should have waited, just a few days for the council to disband, but I wanted you there. I wanted to see for myself that you were still alive, that you hadn't given in to the fever." He swallowed hard enough for her to hear. "I couldn't tell them no, without telling them who you were and then I couldn't rescind the order without the whole of Atlantis finding out the truth and labelling me as a weak leader because I had been taught for years – just as you had – that those without the gene didn't fit into our society." He reached up and tilted her chin up so he could look at her. "I settled for the fact that I knew you were near and you were safe. I couldn't do anything else."

It was a moment after he finished that she found a question instead of words of hatred and confusion.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Too many reasons," John started. "For starters, how many times have the Wraith attacked that you can remember?"

"A lot," she said.

"The Wraith don't come here, you'd be safe. We've become desperate for supplies, cut off from Earth for almost two years. I needed to make an alliance with Sateda and the only thing we had to give was concubines. The reason I picked you was a little more selfish, though. Carson came to me a few months ago, told me you were near the end of your training and suggested that, as I'd picked you at the orphanage, that I be the one to help you through the last part of your childhood." Teyla scoffed in disgust at her side. "Yeah," John said. "I couldn't find an excuse not to, so when McKay and I started talking about the alliance and what we could give the king to show friendship, you were the first thing that came to mind. I knew you'd be safe here, I knew you'd be well cared for, and I knew he wouldn't hurt you or abuse you. I didn't expect him to figure out who you were or teach you to be something else."

"Are they still alive?" Both John and Elizabeth turned to look at the king, she'd almost forgotten he was in the room and she frowned at his question. "Your parents, are they still alive?"

"Yeah," John said. "I took over in Atlantis at sixteen, as I was taught. They live on Earth, though, and we lost contact with them a few years ago."

"What will it take to get communications back?"

"The Wraith to stop attacking. They keep draining our power and it's taking most of our hands to keep recharging ZPMs."

"I can give you extra hands. Not a problem."

"If," Elizabeth said stopping them from going on.

"If what?" John asked.

"If you take back whatever it is you're forbidding the king to do."

John turned sharply to the king and Elizabeth followed the glare he gave the monarch.

"She doesn't even know?"

"I told you it was an intention. I hadn't discussed it with her yet, no. I wanted her to get used to her rank."

"I won't, not until you know what he's asking me to give up." John said turning back to Elizabeth.

"Then tell me," Elizabeth said getting a little annoyed that everyone seemed to think she wasn't old enough to do anything, but at the same time they thought her old enough to be a bed slave. John looked at Ronon and out the corner of her eye she caught his raised brow and slight nod.

"He wants to marry you," John said. She felt her heart jump and her cheeks colour. She'd be married to Ronon Dex of Sateda. She'd be the Queen of Sateda. "But I can't allow it."

"Why not?"

"For a start, you're not Satedan."

"Well I'm not good enough to be Atlantean. Yet, as a concubine the king is still asking to marry me."

"You don't understand."

"Then stop treating me like a child and explain it to me." Ronon gave a laugh as she stared John down. In the space of two weeks, she'd learned that here, on this planet, she was something better than a majority of the population, whereas back on the planet she was raised, she was just scum. Right now, she was tired of not knowing things. She was still unsure where she belonged and who she was and here was John Sheppard telling her she didn't understand. Well, of course she didn't. No one taught her how things worked up in the political levels.

"Satedan customs and laws," John said, pausing to lick his lips. "If you, as a close relative to one of the monarchy on another plant marry him, it would hand over the power of your house. In this case, you marrying into Sateda and being accepted as their queen would mean that I've handed over not only my sister to their world, but my control over Atlantis. I can't let that happen."

"May I go?" Elizabeth asked sharply, turning to the king. He nodded and she turned back to John. "As far as I'm aware the King isn't interested in controlling Atlantis, so, if you were half as smart as I was led to believe all these years, you'd make up for what happened to me, make a friend of me, and then allow the marriage. Instant alliance with me between the two of you." She turned quickly and left the room with Teyla close on her heels.

Stopping in the corridor, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She felt strangely good, as though she'd gotten the better of both of them in one simple move. Perhaps this political talk wasn't so hard after all.

Starting down the corridor, she smiled. "I think I have something I'd like to learn."

~*~

"Are you sure?"

Elizabeth sent her a glare, though it lacked any feeling. Kate had a right to feel overprotective. She had, after all, been looking after Elizabeth for over two weeks now. The thing was, she was about to walk through the city of Sateda for the first time.

 

"People out there know about you, Elizabeth. They've heard of a young woman who came to seek favour of the king. You'll have jealous woman staring at you and probably telling you to go home or worse. You'll get men gawking at you 'cause gods know you're gonna turn heads out there."

"Kate," she interrupted. "We've been through this and it's not like I'm going alone. You and Teyla are there and I believe those four men back there," she indicated the four guards who were checking their ammo, "are on our tour too."

"Okay, Teyla, make a note - Next concubine, less attitude."

Elizabeth and Teyla laughed loudly before Teyla pulled the cloak around Elizabeth's shoulders and fastened the clip for her. She turned to the main doors, studying them as Teyla collected her things and took her place a step behind her to her left. The guards around them shifted into place and just before they opened the doors, she told herself quietly that she was the woman the King had chosen. She was not a slave and never would be again.


	5. Chapter 5

Ronon didn't really know how he'd come to the conclusion, but, fact was, someone in his house had made a deal with the wraith. There was no other reason for them to leave Sateda alone. He didn't like it, there was no excuse for it. They had an army that rivalled any other planet in the system and their weapons where superior to all, with the exception of Atlantis drones. Yet someone he trusted had taken it upon themselves to set up a deal, and worst of all, they had done so behind his back.

He had let it go for a while now, pushing the treachery aside because his people lived without fear. But an alliance of any sort would put that to an end, and if he was going to throw peace away, he wanted to throw the traitor out with it. Perhaps when he broke the traitor's deal, he could hand them over as a last Satedan meal. What a shame the wraith couldn't feed on them.

His biggest worry would forever be them capturing Elizabeth. No matter what way he played it in his head, she was the most vulnerable. The wraith could feed on her without problem, the only downside to not marrying a woman from Sateda. Beyond that, she would be in more risk of attack living in his palace than with the civilians off the street. Should the Wraith decide that whipping out Sateda was their better option, the palace would be their first target.

Escaping would be a last resort, though Kate would likely tell him he was too important to stay behind. His people would need him, so as always she'd be right. Then there was the big question - where would they go? Atlantis might be their only option but that scenario would conjure a world of issues between himself and John Sheppard, even with the newly found relationship between him and Elizabeth.

He hadn't stopped to talk to her properly about a marriage between them. They had only spoken in passing for the last few days as she had taken a liking to the palace library that he'd all but avoided since he was her age. Eventually, he would have to speak with her. Nothing would be official until they discussed it, and as it was, rumour of a Lady Elizabeth had swept through the city and probably further by now. He wanted the world to know he loved her.

Filing away the idea of talking to Elizabeth, Ronon turned the corner to the office of the head of house. For a long time now he'd considered Bates the wrong man for the job. Paying servants and deciding who did what seemed to be a settle for what he really wanted to do. Though he couldn't work out if that was diplomacy or military. He had to pause to rethink that. No military man would make a deal with the enemy. Dealings with Bates, in the last few years, had made him believe Bates had only taken the job so he could be in the palace, any position of power to make changes or lead inspiration, they had argued about how things were run on several occasions and once or twice in the past three years or so he had almost said something that would have angered Ronon to the point of murder. He stepped into the office and smiled as Bates practically jumped out of his skin.

"Majesty," he stated, standing almost as straight backed as Elizabeth. "How can I be of service?"

"You can tell me what you think you're doing." A flicker of fear passed over the man's face before he schooled it into confusion.

"I don't know what you mean, sire."

Ronon took a seat opposite him and quirked a brow. He wasn't going to tell him what he'd done wrong. He was going to see if there was a confession to be had. He didn't know for sure that it was Bates. He was just the top suspect.

"Sire, if I have done something to upset you then please understand it was not done intentionally."

Had his father really hired this suck up?

"I think it was. I think you did something, got yourself into a situation, and had to think fast."

"I don't know what you mean."

Ronon leaned forward, resting his arms on the table and stared at the man for several long minutes.

"I'll find proof, Bates, and when I do, I'll hand you to the Wraith with whatever deal you've made with them. Unless you tell me the truth in the next two days."

He got up and headed for the door hoping the man would stop him before he managed to step outside. No matter what happened in the next couple of days, he would replace him. Fifteen years of service or not.

~*~

Agriculture, animal husbandry, industrial revolution, the rise of the monarchy - They had three underground levels filled with books here and Elizabeth found herself with the urge to open each and every novel, encyclopaedia, and magazine she could get her hands on. One day, she promised herself, she would do just that, but for now, she would content herself with politics and the modern royals.

Neither Kate nor Teyla had been here before so finding the books that they needed had been a bit of a task. Until one brave librarian had stepped up and asked what they were looking for. Out in the streets, no one had approached them. Kate had explained that they were not permitted to, a 'speak only when spoken to' sort of mentality. Half way to the library, Elizabeth wished it had been 'look only when you are looked at' as many of the men goggled at her as she passed, and she caught too many glares of jealousy from the women.

As Kate had instructed, she kept her head high, eyes looking where ever she pleased, and just kept moving. Things were much the same in here, though she found it easier to block them out with a book in hand and mind soaking up the content. Politics for young students.

About midway through the day, one of the guard disappeared and returned with lunch. Elizabeth didn't notice he had gone until Teyla pushed the book from her hands and ushered her to a nearby table. Having spent their morning reading far more interesting books, Kate and Teyla asked questions about things Elizabeth had found out.

The journey back to the palace in the late afternoon was similarly disturbing for Elizabeth. The gawking and whispers more pronounced in her mind while Kate insistently whispered that she should ignore them. A week's worth of reading with them, they made their way up the path to the palaces main doors to find Ronon pacing at the bottom of the steps.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked taking in the same tense shoulders and worried expression Elizabeth saw.

"No," he answered and Elizabeth knew she wasn't the only one to find herself suddenly curious about his pacing. "I need to speak with Elizabeth alone." It was said as though he was completely unsure about talking to her at all or that he had yet to work out the subject.

Turning, Elizabeth handed her book to Teyla who smiled encouragingly at her and hurried inside with the guards. She waited where she stood as Kate stopped next to him and was dismissed a moment later. Ronon paced the steps one more time before pausing to offer her his arm. She hesitated a moment, wondering if it would be silly to take amusement out of them pacing the stairs arm in arm before she reached out and hooked a hand under his elbow.

He led her around the side of the building in silence, passing the lake she had sat by only yesterday, and further around towards the back where she had yet to venture. As they turned the last corner, she saw nothing but a stone wall along the width of the garden. She wondered why there would be a wall in the middle of the grounds and it wasn't until Ronon guided her along it and turned into a gap that she realised it was concealing something. He stopped just inside, a green hedge in front of her. It took her a moment to figure out that they'd just stepped into a maze and quirked a brow.

"Which way?" Ronon asked.

"You don't know?"

Ronon laughed. "I know my way out from anywhere in this maze. For now, we just want to be somewhere away from everyone else."

Elizabeth considered cheekily asking him if he was going to behave himself if she followed him into the maze and settled for pointing to her left. Ronon smiled and started off in that direction. It wasn't until they'd followed the maze around corners and curves and stopped at another intersection that he finally moved onto the topic at hand.

"I know I shouldn't have let Sheppard tell you my intentions without talking to you first, and I will understand if you want to say no. The choice is yours." He paused and she wondered if he was expecting a yes or no without even really asking the question. She considered giving it to him, then changed her mind and pointed down to the right. "I don't even know what I need to say here," he said guiding her in the direction indicated.

"How about," Elizabeth said turning him down another pathway and stopping. "'I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I should have spoken to you alone about you becoming my wife. I also," she added stopping him from speaking and carrying on along the path, "should have told you I suspected John Sheppard was your brother before throwing you into the fire.'"

Ronon just smiled at her for a second. "Anything else you want me to say?"

"Hmm," Elizabeth hummed, pretending to think about it. "Yes, but I think I should stop before you change your mind about asking."

He stopped sharply, turning her to face him as he did so and for a split second she was afraid of what he'd do or say. His arms wrapped around her quickly, trapping her pressed against his body and she looked up at him trying to determine his expression. He was studying her, searching her eyes for something. She couldn't figure out what. He seemed to find it and whatever it was, it made him smile before he leaned down to kiss her.

"Elizabeth," he said softly when he pulled back. "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you about marriage and my suspicions about John Sheppard before I dragged you into my room. Will you forgive me?"

"For another kiss, I will forgive you for a thousand things."

"Then I will be a very rich man soon," he said leaning in and kissing her with as much passion as he could find.

He pulled away sharply and looked around at the hedges. For a moment, she considered that he was lost, then he turned, her hand in his and walked along the passage and around the corner. It was a dead end, but sitting at the end of the walkway was a bench, he moved along to it and she had the distinct feeling that his control was quickly slipping away. He sat down and drew her onto his lap. She felt his body's reaction to her instantly and shifted away from him slightly.

"What?" he asked, feeling her movements.

"I thought there was a reason you were waiting until our wedding night," she said with a smile. He dropped his forehead against her shoulder and laughed.

"Our marriage will not be legitimate if you are not a virgin on that night. And while I have no intention of ruining that, it doesn't mean we can't play."

She was confused for a moment before his hand reached down and began to draw her skirt up her legs. As he passed her knee, he slipped his hand underneath and ran his fingers delicately up her thigh. She shuddered. She couldn't help it, and the closer he drew to her hip the more the touch made her tingle. Her breath caught as he found the edge of her underwear, a very small and tight pair of white shorts that matched the lace coverings she had on over her dress.

"If I hurt or frighten you, Elizabeth," he breathed, his fingers teasing along the edge on her thigh. "You must tell me to stop. I will stop," he promised. She nodded somewhat dumbly as he slipped his finger under the hem to brush her hip. "Have you ever been touched?" he asked drawing his finger down through the curls at the apex of her sex.

"No," she said breathlessly. He brushed his fingers back up towards her hip and as he moved back down towards her sex she gripped his arm. "I think we should wait for that too."

She felt a little ashamed, her mind racing over what would have happened should she stop him as a concubine. Most owners would have beaten her for it, returned her to Carson for another form of punishment altogether, then she would have been made to spend the night naked and without covers to show the other concubines she was afraid. Feeling the tears building, she quickly thought of something else to talk about.

"Elizabeth." She could hear the fear in his voice and she took a deep breath before smiling at him.

"You still haven't asked me." It was a stop gap to get through the moment. She needed time alone, had to work out why she wasn't ready for this when he was clearly showing her more respect than any man had done in her entire life. A moment later she felt Ronon wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. He pulled her back against his chest and waited for a breath before he spoke.

"Will you marry me, Elizabeth?" he asked softly as she relaxed against him. She turned her head to look at him, forcing him to release his grip on her as she twisted slightly. His hand came up and he brushed his thumb across her cheek to wipe away the tear she'd released.

"Yes," she said, then let out a small laugh. "If you can convince John to allow it."

"Don't worry about Sheppard," he said leaning in and kissing her before gathering her into his arms and getting up. Elizabeth rested her head against his shoulder as he moved along the path, turned a few corners, and emerged from the maze.

~*~

"Sir." John stopped midway across the control room and turned back to the technician. " _Prometheus_ is in radio range, they're requesting a private conversation."

"What are they doing here?" John asked, not really expecting an answer. "Conference room," he said to the tech and turned back the way he'd come to cross over to the conference room.

Stepping in, he paused to look around. Usually he was in here to go over whatever horrible event was going on in the city. He hoped he wasn't about to expand that to the galaxy. He crossed to the monitor on the far wall and switched it on and quickly quirked a brow.

"General," he said. It was a shock to find General O'Neill in the 'captains' chair of the flag ship. "What brings you all the way out here to our crazy corner of Pegasus?"

"What do you think?" Jack said. In all fairness it was a stupid question. They'd lost contact with Earth. They were here to make sure Atlantis was still in one piece and its inhabitants still alive. "We'll be there inside the hour. Got a couple of guests for you."

"Now's probably a bad time for a visit, sir. Our transmission are being blocked by the Wraith that seem to wanna hang out around our lovely planet and they sap the life out of every ZPM we plug in."

"Well that answers a few questions," Jack said indicating the pilot to slow their speed. "I take it we won't be able to get close safely?"

"That'd be about right, they're just lingering up there. They seem to attack as soon as we start dialling the gate. We have to connect the ZPM, dial, go and disconnect the ZPM quickly before they start the next bombardment. Brings a whole new meaning to plug and play."

Someone off screen made a comment about the gate that John didn't completely catch and Jack seemed to consider it for a moment before he turned back to the monitor.

"What about incoming wormholes?"

"No ZPM to draw power from. They don't seem to register those, just the use of the power modules."

"We'll find a planet around here, gate in from there."

"Good idea, I'll have Chuck send you an IDC. I hope you brought your decoder. Everything we send out gets intercepted."

"I'm sure one of the eggheads on board can manage it."

"Yes, sir," John said. "See you soon." He waited for the connection to break before he turned the monitor off and turned back to the control room.

Jogging across the landing, he stopped to ask Chuck to send the IDC and let him know when they were here before he vanished down the stairs and headed for the labs. He stepped in just in time to catch one of Rodney's insults. The receiving scientist wasn't amused, replied in another language, and stormed out past him.

"Tell me you have something about the ZPMs?" John said slightly annoyed that Rodney found it acceptable to insult everyone who couldn't answer questions.

"Not a thing," he replied sharply. "I thought Atlantis had the best of the best."

"Some of them are."

"Some?"

"Well they needed a few on Earth too."

"Oh yeah, they have tons of new technology to learn."

"Drop the sarcasm." He wasn't in the mood for one of Rodney's gripes. He had visitors from Earth, a general amongst them, and three hive ships still lingering in orbit. The only way this could be any worse was one of the guests being his father. Though he had at least one idea on how to distract him, he just wasn't sure it was a good idea.

"All they've managed to find out so far is that the Wraith are picking up the power surges, whenever we plug them in, the energy consumption goes up and they can detect it. All of that information, I could have come up with in about 20 seconds."

"Yeah, me too," John muttered. "But how did they get our frequency?"

"Probably from sitting in orbit watching the power levels."

"Wonderful. We have guests coming. _Prometheus_ has stopped about an hour away to find a planet with accessible gate. O'Neill plus guests are heading our way."

"So long as I don't have to give a tour," Rodney spat following him out of the room.

"No," John replied. "But you do need to come up with a better way for them to get here and back. Can't keep using some random gate."

~*~

Bates paused at the corner and peeked around, waiting for the maid standing outside the room to be allowed entrance. The noble on the other side was here visiting for no more than two days and as luck would have it, he was put in the room that blocked his quick escape. The door to the room opened and a second later closed and he took this as his cue to go and rounded the corner. It was thankfully empty and not wanting to take the chance that her visit would be short, he took off at a run to the other end and darted down the stairs.

The landing mid way where servers would turn to head down to the kitchen had a tapestry hanging on the wall, he checked carefully that there was no one in any direction who could see him and then shoved the tapestry to the side and opened the short, slim door. He slipped through and pulled it shut behind him, letting the horrible piece of material fall back into place and concealing his escape. The small dark room on the other side was only big enough to hold one person, hunched over and there was no light, so if you didn't know where the other door was, you'd be left fumbling in the dark. Luckily, Bates knew this room well and he easily opened the other door and vanished out into the cold night.

He wasted no time crossing the field to the wall of the grounds and slipped into the dark alcove hidden directly opposite the door he'd just left. Inside, he picked up the transmitter, switched it on, and waited.

"You are late." The hiss of a voice that reverberated over the transmitter made him shiver. There was nothing worse than the hiss of a Wraith and the low tones that promised nothing good of the conversation.

"I had to wait for the corridor to clear."

"I don't want your excuses," the Wraith hissed. "I want more information."

"I've given you everything I know about Atlantis and the woman they brought here knows nothing. She's just a slave."

"Then you will have to find a way to get there and find me more."

"There are no current plans to visit Atlantis, and if there were, the house manager would not be on the guest list."

The Wraith hissed in anger and Bates swallowed hard, he had to think of something or their deal would be off.

"There is an Earth ship," the Wraith told him. "It has stopped just out of our sensor range." For a moment he wondered how they knew about the ship, but didn't dare ask. "Find a way to have that ship in orbit of Sateda and then find a way on board. Get me the coordinates to Earth and our deal will stand for years to come."

'How?' was the first thing that came to mind, but asking that of the Wraith was pushing his luck too far.

"I'll need time."

"You have one week," the Wraith let out a low hiss. "Or we will turn our attention to your planet and start with the King's palace."

"I'll get the information." Somehow.

"If you fail, my first meal will be on your soul."

The transmission ended with a light click and Bates exhaled heavily. How was he meant to tell the king about the Earth ship if no one else could detect it? Sateda didn't even have ships capable of space travel, let alone sensors that could reach that far. Shaking his head, he stashed the transmitter back in the small cubby hole, covered it, and darted back out of the hole and back towards the palace.

He didn't see the man standing in the shadows along the wall, not too far from his hiding place. He didn't turn back to see him vanish into the archway or take note of the recording device the man held. His mind too consumed with the demand for information, he had let himself be seen.


	6. Chapter 6

These days, and much to Ronon's delight, the throne room was used only for special occasions and important meetings. Not even the first alliance meeting with Atlantis had been held in this room, but it would be used for the ceremony that would one day crown Elizabeth Weir as Queen of Sateda. It was this thought that drew Ronon to the room lately. He imagined a second chair, not as grand as his, but just as powerful, sitting empty at his side as he watched the priest swear Elizabeth to her rightful place among their people. Then when she rose with crown on her head, he'd watch as the priest led her to the seat and she sat, straight backed and proud.

He let out a little laugh. The image also led him to the fear that she'd try hard to hide from everyone, but he'd be able to see past the face of calmness she'd force on her beautiful features. He'd been raised into his place, it was comfortable and normal to him, but for Elizabeth it was a horrible and frightening thought. She'd been raised in the opposite fashion, bowing to royals instead of standing tall as one. Yet from the moment he'd set eyes on her, he hadn't been able to picture her succumbing to anyone.

Delicate, had been the first thing he'd noticed. Even with her posture proud and her head high, she'd been afraid. It had radiated off her as though she were glowing. Elegant. Despite what she'd been taught to be, despite everything she'd been told to do and expect, she was still an elegant woman and her title 'concubine' didn't fit her at all. From what he knew, concubines were pretty women with dark eyes who had been taught that only a man's pleasure mattered. He couldn't see that in Elizabeth's face. She was more than that, deserved more than that. Then he'd seen her eyes and his heart had sunk to the ground.

Never in his life had he seen a woman with green eyes. The colour was intoxicating and the look she had given him that first time had been filled with fear and shame, emotions he thought no woman should ever have. He'd wanted to hold her, tell her it would be alright, and then make love to her like he'd never done before. It was her eyes that always made him want to touch. When he'd stepped into that room to find her there naked and waiting, he had wanted it enough to consider stripping down and showing her just what she did to him. He had managed to resist, though he hadn't managed to stop himself touching her body.

"My lord," her voice was a chime ringing in his ears and for a moment he considered that he was just remembering the sound of her voice. Slowly turning though, he found her standing near the door, left slightly open when he'd entered. The sight of her, as it always did, made his body stir and he mentally thanked Kate for the light green overlay to her dress that made her eyes stand out.

He smirked at her, then turned back to his throne and took the few steps up so he could sit in it. He raised a brow at her and she smiled slightly before walking down the middle of the room towards him, stopping just before the steps up. Ever so delicately, she curtseyed to him.

"You requested an audience with the king?" he said playfully.

"No, my lord. But John Sheppard has requested one," she replied, equally as teasing.

Ronon scoffed. "He's not as pretty as the lady I see now."

"I should hope not," she said. "Otherwise, I would have to ask Kate to look into your sanity." She paused, then with a cheeky grin added, "My lord."

Grinning, Ronon leaned to the side and crocked a finger at her to beckon her forward. She took the stairs slowly and stopped right in front of him. For a moment, the fear that he could easily frighten her away again rushed through him and he reminded himself that he wasn't going to touch her in that way until they were married, a promise he had made himself after their time in the maze.

He reached out carefully and took her hand, letting the touch linger for a moment before he coaxed her into his lap. He felt her stiffen slightly as he moved, but didn't let it bother him. He couldn't or he'd change his mind about her being his wife. As it was, he was afraid of their wedding night.

"Are you uncomfortable around me?" he asked, wrapping his arms loosely around her.

"No," she said softly, but he had a feeling it was a lie, even just a little one.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me, Elizabeth, I couldn't hurt you. I love you too much."

Her response wasn't the polite and shy 'thank you' he expected of her. She didn't nod or smile, she simply leaned in and kissed him. It was the first truly confidant move she had made towards him since accepting her status, one that was made of her own feelings and not out of training and expectation and the fear of a new location. He let her control it, let her dictate the depth of the moment as he let his hand slip down onto her thigh. He wanted badly to touch her, to caress her body and listen to the sounds of her pleasure, but he couldn't have that. Not yet. As she pulled back, he felt his heart sink slightly. The loss of her kiss was almost heartbreaking. He had to remind himself that she would be with him forever.

"John's waiting for you to contact him," she said quietly.

"Kill joy," Ronon teased, running his hand along her stomach before helping her back to her feet. He got up, taking her hand in his as he moved and led her out of the hall and down to the Gate room. The shimmering pool was never a welcome sight to him. It usually meant something complicated or annoying was on the other side. He sighed before stepping in front of the monitor. "Sheppard."

"Sire, I know we're not supposed to continue our conversation for a few days, but I have a favour to ask."

Ronon looked around, taking in the people in the room, his head of security, Bates, and the men who always guarded the gate.

"Alright," he said leaving the conversation open for the info.

"One of our ships has arrived from Earth. They can't approach our planet because of the Wraith, three hive ships would make easy work of them. Well, almost easy work. We're hoping you'll allow us passage through the gate. You can tell us where our people could beam in and out from and any other details."

"And what do we get for letting you use our gate?" He knew it was a petty question, but alliances were all about give and take. If he gave access, what could he take in return?

"Well, I've been considering demoting Rodney to Tour Guide for a while now," he said and in the background Ronon heard the indignant 'hey' McKay let out. "We'll permit passage to a set number of people to have tours of Atlantis and the ship."

Ronon shifted for a moment, not completely sure the exchange was fair, though he had to admit, the Earth people would barely touch their planet and they were, in return, giving them a lot more freedom.

"There's something else," John said, and Ronon quirked a brow and waited as the man licked his lips and glanced quickly at Elizabeth. "My parents are on the _Prometheus_. If you'll let me, I'd like to introduce them to someone they haven't seen for ten years."

Without even looking he could feel Elizabeth's discomfort at the idea. From the day he met her, he knew she'd wanted to meet them, but it wouldn't be easy for her, or for her parents for that matter.

"How long until the ship arrives here?"

"We calculate about an hour and a half to you," John said. "I'll come to you a few minutes early and I'll bring someone to work with your security to control the flow of traffic."

Ronon turned to look at Elizabeth who didn't meet his eye and was looking back at her feet. He had an hour and a half to prepare a woman to meet parents who'd sent her to an orphanage. He honestly didn't know what was going on in her mind, she could hate them for all he knew.

"Fine," he said. "See you then." He turned away as John gave his thanks and led Elizabeth back across the entry hall to the throne room.

~*~

Sitting at the table in this room felt strange. The first and only time she'd been here prior to this meeting was as a concubine gifted to the King. Now though, she sat on the other side of the table. Ronon sat at one end, while Kate sat at her side, a nail kit in her hand fiddling endlessly with Elizabeth's nails and occasionally making noises of distaste. The one thing she'd been insisting on, and had given Teyla permission to scold for, was Elizabeth biting her nails when she was nervous. Which was probably her reasons for doing this now.

She hadn't looked up when John entered a few minutes ago. She kept her eyes fixed on what Kate was doing to her fingers, watching as she neatened up her ends and pushed back the cuticles, the polish to make them 'pretty' sat a little distance away. Teyla stood at one of the doors, the King's man server next to her, and guards scattered the area. Silently she wished she had the freedom of movement. John's pacing on the other side of the table was seriously distracting and she wanted nothing more than to force him to sit down or else join him.

The doors opened as Kate reached for the nail polish. Her reaction jerked her hand from under Kate's grip and for the first time since John had told them about their parents, she found herself really nervous. She sat back in the chair, fiddling with her nails and very aware that Ronon and Teyla were watching her. She listened to the footsteps that came into the room, three or four sets of them.

"Sheppard?" one of the men asked. "Why exactly did you want us here?" the man asked. Elizabeth dared a look at him, silver hair and stern face. She caught his slight bow to the king. "Jack O'Neill," he introduced himself.

"Actually, sir, I asked for my parents."

"Now is not the time or place to boast about an alliance, boy." Elizabeth shifted without meaning to. The voice was strangely familiar and at the same time frightening. Kate reached out and took her hand.

"I wanted to introduce you to someone I brought here a few weeks ago. Someone I thought I was saving ten years ago."

"What are you talking about?" his father demanded. Elizabeth looked up again, catching the eye of the woman in the group, her green eyes were friendly and then realisation seemed to sink in and a look of shock passed over them.

"I tracked where your friend took Elizabeth," John admitted. "I went to the hospital where she was treated; spoke to the doctor who personally took her to the orphanage."

"Oh, my god." Elizabeth's eyes flicked away from her mother to look at her father, who looked confused and turned to follow his wife's fixed look in her direction.

"You took her to Atlantis anyway." He didn't seem pleased and Elizabeth watched as he turned away from both of them. The hurt that flooded her was bitter and sharp and she wanted to leave the room quickly.

"Yeah," John admitted with a sigh. "Should have waited a couple of weeks for the council to break, but I wanted her nearby. They assigned her as a concubine."

"No," her mother's whisper was lost in the snort from her father.

"I brought her here as a gift to the king to protect her," John said defiantly.

"We gave her up so she wouldn't become some rich man's play thing," her father shouted and she turned away quickly. Kate gave her hand a squeeze. "What exactly did you think we'd say here, John?"

"If you'd let me finish for once, you'd be able to figure it out."

"Don't talk to me that way."

"Stop," Elizabeth said. The room around her fell silent. Of all the times Kate had told her she had the right to speak when she wanted, actually doing it was shocking. She swallowed hard and looked up, taking in the smirk on John and Ronon's faces and the shock on their three visitors. "You can fight over authority later," she said, more to John than to the room at large. John nodded gracefully, or as gracefully as he could manage, and turned back to the small party.

"Before I'd even released Elizabeth into the care of this house, the king had freed her," John said calmly and Elizabeth drank in the sound of her mother's shocked and pleased sob. "Here, her gene doesn't matter and everyone outside this room knows her as Lady Elizabeth."

"There is no authority to freeing a concubine," her father spat.

"Not on Atlantis," Jack offered. "Here though, the second Sheppard released her from his service, she could be used in any way the king wished."

"And our daughter wasn't good enough to be his concubine."

"Dad," John said, the tone of voice silencing any protest quickly. "I'm trying to make an alliance with this planet and you're trying to rip it apart?"

"Don't be absurd."

"Then could you please not insult the King?"

Elizabeth followed the movement as her mother moved across the room and closer to the table where Elizabeth sat. At the end of the table, Ronon sat ignoring the conversation and flipping a coin he'd had in his pocket. She knew he'd wait for just the right moment to speak.

"I don't understand why you bothered..."

"I'm going to marry your daughter," Ronon said. Had she been in a better mood, Elizabeth would have found the whole thing amusing, but so far her father didn't seem at all pleased to find her there, safe and well, and she wasn't completely sure he'd even looked at her.

Her mother gasped and before Elizabeth could turn to look at Teyla for help, her friend was crossing the room to pull out the nearest chair and assist the older woman into it.

"I beg your pardon." Her father bellowed.

"Lee," her mother said in warning.

"Kathy, she doesn't have the gene..."

"I don't care," Kathy said standing up quickly and knocking the chair back. Teyla caught it as the woman rounded on her husband. "This is our daughter, Lee. What difference does it make what genes she does or doesn't have?"

"Kathy..."

"Ten years." Elizabeth couldn't watch as the woman pleaded with her husband. "It's been ten years since you let that man walk away with our daughter." Kathy turned back to the table and Elizabeth looked up to see the tears in the woman's eyes. "Look at her, Lee." She didn't turn to see if her husband had looked. "She's so beautiful," she let out a small sob at the end of the last word that made Elizabeth want to cry too. "I held you that morning," she carried on, talking to Elizabeth now. "I held you close, telling you to fight the illness and rocking you when you cried. When he arrived to take you, I told John not to let you go." A tear slid down her mother's face. "I couldn't watch them take you away from me."

For a moment, Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to move. Her parents had abandoned her, sent her away like a worthless object and her mother hadn't even been there to say goodbye or that she was sorry. She took a deep breath, struggling between wanting to know these people and hatred for being dumped, then she got up. On shaky legs she walked around the table, past Teyla, still standing near her mother, to stop by the chair.

She had to look at her father, who seemed for the first time to really take in her appearance, then crouched down to her mother's level. It wasn't the woman's fault she wasn't good enough, it wasn't her fault she had been taken. She took her mother's hand, watching as the joy battled with apology on her face.

"I don't blame you," Elizabeth said honestly. Tears flooded her mother's face and Kathy brought a hand up to touch her daughter's cheek.

Several minutes passed before John cleared his throat. "I thought at the very least you'd want to know that she was safe. Sateda hasn't been attacked by the wraith in something like fifteen years."

"And even if we were, Elizabeth and Kate would be the first two people in a safe place or through the gate," Ronon said sounding bored now.

"Are you being forced?" Lee asked, his voice returning after Kathy's outburst. "Elizabeth, are you being forced?"

"Dad, don't be stupid."

"She's on another world, with a king whose law we don't know."

"And it doesn't make a difference," John burst out. "She's here being forced to marry and share a bed with one man for the rest of her life or she's on Atlantis as the play thing for any single guy who gets bored." The look between the two was murderous and left the room filled with tension.

"No," Elizabeth said at last. "Ronon asked me if I would marry him a day after finding out it was his intention. I answered honestly."

"And what exactly do you do all day?"

"Well between lessons on being a lady, I've been learning diplomacy." The information was new to everyone except Kate and Teyla and out of the corner of her eye she saw Ronon quirk a brow and let out a huffed laugh.

"Diplomacy?"

"Yes," she said, an air of pride on the single word. "It's my understanding that the king doesn't have a diplomatic advisor in his upper circle, I thought I could at least be useful."

"They've corrupted you."

"They've helped me."

"They've let you believe you have a future."

Ronon's fist came down hard on the table making everyone jump. Elizabeth was on her feet from the shock and Kate scrambled to catch a few of the nail things that went flying off the edge.

"You, of all people, treat her like this?" Ronon said. "I was led to believe as a boy that it was you who set in motion to stop turning the gene less into slaves and you're standing here talking about your own daughter as if she's nothing more than a piece of dirt."

Any other time and Elizabeth would have felt shame for the remark. But she wasn't that person anymore and this was her chance to find out what her parents were like. She had a feeling that her mother was the only one she'd want at the wedding.

"She's my daughter." Lee replied in a similar tone. "I know her place in society."

"In your society," Elizabeth said before Ronon could move from his seat.

"You are from our society."

"She was," John interjected. "She stopped being from earth when she became Atlantean, then she stopped being either when I brought her here as a gift to the king for listening to our alliance offer."

"You think, because she lives here, she is Satedan?"

"No, I think as soon as she marries the king, she'll be Satedan. For now, she's sadly displaced and she's making the best of it. And I would have thought you would have been pleased that she has somewhere better to belong, somewhere she's not the lowest form of life on the planet."

Silence.

"I'm pleased," Kathy said. "I've wondered every day what happened to you. I get to watch my baby girl become a queen."

"Lee," Jack said. "You might as well enjoy this, knowing what happened to Elizabeth and what she's managed to become." Lee gave him a harsh look. "Look at it this way, you're not in command of Atlantis anymore. The only person who can refuse Elizabeth's upgrade, if you'll excuse the expression," Elizabeth nodded, "is John, and he doesn't seem to have an objection."

"It was a shock," John admitted. "But when you stop and look," he paused to look at Elizabeth. "You'll see that it really makes her happy. I never saw her smile when she was living in Atlantis." She couldn't resist smiling at him; he'd in a way just permitted the marriage.

"I know it might take a while to sink in, so why don't we go back to Atlantis and you can come back with me in two days and see Elizabeth then."

A round of agreement went around the room and a few minutes later the Atlantis team were heading out of the room, though Kathy held on to Elizabeth for as long as possible. Elizabeth stood watching the door for a minute after it had closed, and when she finally looked around, the room was empty aside from herself and Ronon.

"You okay?" he asked. She had to consider the answer before she nodded.

"Yeah," she said honestly. "I think I am."


	7. Chapter 7

"Welcome aboard the _Prometheus_. Our first destination on our tour is the bridge, which, thanks to the wonderful technology of another race, you are currently standing in. As the hub of the ship, the officers can control almost every aspect of the starship, from the hyperspace engines to what meals they serve in the mess hall." A round of chuckles followed, but Bates didn't find anything funny about it. He glanced around at the few random people in the group, a few servers and the odd palace guard made up the group with himself and the Atlantean woman Ronon had taken a liking too. With her here, he'd have to be extra careful about obtaining the information.

"The captain of the ship, sadly absent at the moment, is General Jack O'Neill. His chair, in the centre gives him the advantage of seeing and hearing everything. The console you can see on the arm of the chair gives him access to the communications channels so he can speak with any department on the ship and even communicate with anyone on the nearby planet."

"What about long range communications?" someone in the crowd asked and silently Bates thanked them.

"Not from there, but the communications station is over here." The guide walked to her left, stopping at a station manned by a single man. "From here, Sergeant Harriman can send information to and from Atlantis or other ships in the area."

"Can he contact Earth?" Bates asked daringly. "Perhaps Lady Elizabeth would like to send a message home?" he added, feeling more sly than helpful. He turned in time to catch her blush as she turned towards Teyla.

"Well, should someone wish to send a communique to Earth, it would sadly take a few weeks to travel the distance. For a few years now, we've been trying to set up stations between here and Earth to make conversations quicker and possibly even sending supplies to Atlantis easier."

"Can we see how some of these systems work?" someone else asked. Bates' brow rose, he was having a ridiculous amount of good luck today.

"Absolutely," the guide said easily. "Our systems store planetary addresses as we pass new worlds, particularly ones with Stargates and communications systems."

"What about the long range communications? How would you send a message if you needed to?" He felt Elizabeth's eyes on him the second he'd said it and she didn't look away for several long seconds.

"Well, if it was required, our system can pull up any world address," she explained as the technician showed them. Bates took a step forward, putting himself at the front of the crowd and stared at the screen. "We can filter down through the galaxy, the solar system until we find the planet we're after. It tells us the gate address, or coordinate if no gate is found, which we can then select and compose our message. For us, it's simply sending an electronic letter."

Bates burned the image of the gate address to Earth into his head, as soon as they moved on he'd write it down, but for now, he had to keep the symbols in his head. Thankfully, someone in the group changed the subject and they moved on to another section of the bridge. He trailed back slightly, pulling out a book and pen and writing down the details. His mission now completed; he could enjoy the rest of the tour.

~*~

Kate paced the floor outside the conference room, Ronon was inside talking for a few urgent minutes with their security chief about something she wasn't privy to. He'd asked her to meet their guests, which she was doing. To her left, Teyla stood patiently at the bottom of the stairs. She didn't know if Teyla would actually be needed, they were just guessing that Elizabeth's parents would return with John, and hopefully her father would be in a much better mood.

A door across the room opened and Kate quickly straightened her dress and checked herself just as John and company stepped out. She instantly recognised Rodney McKay and Elizabeth's parents, but the other two people in his company were completely unknown to her. She didn't worry about it. Ronon would have people sitting on a separate table taking notes for the meeting this time, she suspected that these people were for the same purpose.

"Good morning," Kate greeted as the party approached. "The king is currently discussing security issues. I hope you won't mind waiting for a few minutes."

"Not at all," John said politely. "My parents won't be joining us. They were hoping for some time with Elizabeth." Kate's hand came up to motion Teyla forward before he'd finished the sentence and stopped a few paces away.

"Not a problem. I believe she's currently in the library," she confirmed with Teyla. "Elizabeth's server will take you to her and see to any needs you have while you're here." She indicated Teyla for them and waited as the parents moved away, following the young woman. She was about to speak again, start a friendly conversation with John, when the door to the hall opened and the chief stepped out. He nodded respectfully to them as he passed and Kate had to bite back her curiosity before she turned and motioned the group inside.

She rounded the table and took the seat next to Ronon while John and company got comfortable on the other side. Silence dropped over them for a short while as the additional two people in the group sorted themselves out. Their computers ready and set up, John turned his attention to the king.

"First, thank you for allowing these talks to take place. Ten years ago under the rule of my father, alliances wouldn't have been attempted. Atlantis has, and hopefully will always remain, a powerful entity in the galaxy, but I'm hoping to keep that along with making friends and working together to keep all our peoples safe." He paused as Ronon nodded and seemed to collect his thoughts. "Over the last few weeks, you've shown me a lot of patience and understanding, as well as the realisation that several things we do in Atlantis and on Earth are now antiquated and should be changed. I'm hoping to put those changes in effect. But for now, let's start with Atlantis' first friendship."

"Absolutely," Ronon said. "And I'd like to start them by offering you double the manpower you requested when you first came to me. They, however, will mostly be made up of volunteers from our population and not from our military. What we'd like to do, is gather those willing to help, training them for a couple of months and then send them to Atlantis for training there. I'll add a few of my own military and between us, we can create an elite team to fight the Wraith."

John seemed to falter for a minute, shocked at the offer and the idea of a team of super soldiers. It was a massively generous offer and there had to be a catch to it somewhere along the line.

"In return," Ronon continued, and John couldn't keep the extended 'but' from echoing through his head. "We'd like protection from the Wraith in whatever method you can offer, sanctuary should we need to evacuate a nearby village or two. And," he paused and John's brow went up. "You officially drop your objection to me marrying Elizabeth."

Kate watched John. He looked completely unsure about letting the marriage go ahead. It made her curious about what changes in Atlantis policies he was talking about, if he wasn't willing to let their last concubine go free. She watched Rodney swallow hard out the corner of her eye. He was clearly nervous about how John would respond to that demand. John's jaw shifted a little before he swallowed.

"Okay," he said clearly and firmly. "With one condition. After you're married, nothing changes. Our alliance stands as it is. You will have no control of anything in Atlantis, but Elizabeth will have sway with me when _she_ decides it is necessary."

"I have no interest in Atlantis. I just want our people to be safe."

"Then we have an agreement there," John said with a smile. "Shall we discuss food and medical supplies?"

~*~

Bates took the opportunity while he could. Lady Elizabeth was occupied with her parents in the library, which was on the other side of the castle as well as three floors above them. The king was caught up for at least an hour in the alliance between Sateda and Atlantis in the middle of the palace, the conference room placed them closer to the front of the building than towards the back where he would be.

He ducked back out his secret passage and checked the area, it wasn't dark yet, just lingering on dusk and there were a few people still milling around in the gardens. Careful of who might be able to see him, he wandered over to the boundary, checked again, and then vanished into his alcove. As it always was, the transmitter was still tucked carefully into a cubby hole, out of sight of anyone who might accidentally step into the hideaway. He pulled it out and flicked it on and waited for the reply.

"You had better have the address, or you will be the first we feed upon." The hiss of their horrible alien voices would always make him shiver.

"I have it," he said keying in the symbols on the controller. "I have it," he said more to himself as he hesitated over the last button. He was about to give away the address to a people whose numbers out did their own by billions. He'd considered the implications of this before he entered the agreement. He was trading someone else's safety for his own. No, for the safety of his king and planet. He pressed the button and sent the coordinates to the Wraith knowing there was no going back now.

"Very good," the Wraith voice informed him. "I will contact you again in several years when we return." The click of finality as the connection was broken seemed to echo through his brain and he quickly cut it off before he started to have second thoughts about what he was doing. He tucked the communicator away again, checked that the coast was clear, and made his way back across the courtyard and stepped into the castle from the side door instead of his secret entrance.

"What did you tell them this time?" Bates froze, the familiar and at the same time unusual accent of the security chief was a frightening thing. "That you'll tell them how to lower the Atlantis shields? Or was it the ship we were touring yesterday?"

"I don't know what you mean, Captain Zelenka." He heard the click and then his own voice flooded through the open room.

 _"I've given you everything I know about Atlantis, and the woman they brought here knows nothing, she's just a slave."_

"Then you will have to find a way to get there and find me more." A Wraith hissed back. Bates closed his eyes. He'd been heard and he'd been caught by the chief of security and above all, taped. Things couldn't get any worse if they tried. He looked around quickly, trying to find a way out. There was only one door off this room, other than the one he'd come in through, and it led into the corridor that curled around the side of the building and behind the conference room, which would be filled with guards about now.

"So are you going to tell me what you told them?" Zelenka asked. "Or shall I just tell the King you were having a little chat with your new friends?" He'd hardly call them friends, but either way, he wasn't about to share the information.

He scoffed after a few seconds of nothing and started walking towards the door on the other side of the room. It seemed Zelenka wasn't going to follow, at least at first. The room was large enough and empty enough for the sound to echo into every corner, but only the sound of his own feet followed him to the door. He opened it to find two guards standing waiting, facing him.

"Move," he demanded and almost instantly Zelenka started to walk across the space.

"I don't think so," he said, a tone that told Bates the man was only too happy with the situation. "Take him to the king. We have permission to interrupt the conference."

~*~

Once again being with her parents had Elizabeth nervously pacing the library shortly after their arrival. Despite the fact that her father was now calm and more amicable to her situation, she still felt uneasy with him and a little unsure how to take her mother, too. She'd been thankful when Teyla had caught up to her at one end of the room and suggested she give them a tour. Obviously, her server knew her well enough by now to realise when she needed to move. The more space she had, the better she felt.

They had wandered up to the top of the castle, out to the centre tower where Elizabeth had found herself a few weeks back staring up at the glowing stars and trying to work out if one of them was Earth or even Atlantis. She'd worked down from there, showing them all the rooms of interest to them. Well, all the rooms she knew anyway, including her own chambers, pointing out – much to her fathers distaste that the king was in the very next room.

They managed to pass the conference room, and step into the back lane corridor that ran behind it at just the right moment. A shout of "unhand me" drew them all to the corner of the hall in time to see the security guards dragging the head of house towards the main door. Not wanting to get her information second hand through servers later on, Elizabeth picked up her pace and followed the group in.

"My lord," Zelenka said with a bow. "My apologies. I caught Mister Bates giving information to the Wraith. He has yet to volunteer the details." Elizabeth had only dealt with Bates once. She found she liked him just about as much as he seemed to like her – not at all.

The look of absolute anger on Ronon's face as he turned and stormed towards them made a few of the guards shift nervously and even Radek Zelenka took a slight step back. But Elizabeth couldn't seem to feel afraid of him, though she did for the first time truly take him in. Half a foot taller than her and with muscles that rivalled the strongest military man she'd ever met. Anyone with a brain would stay clearly on his good side or find their neck snapped in a blink, and it seemed Bates was very close to finding that fact out for himself.

Ronon seized him by the neck, one strong hand firmly closing around his seemingly skinny neck and pushed him back until the man was flat against the nearest wall. The guards had stepped aside, retreating to the safety of at least three feet from the king. She noticed briefly that her parents and Teyla had remained in the doorway and suddenly she was the closest person to the pair.

"What did you tell the Wraith," Ronon demanded, his fingers tightening on the man's throat. Bates choked desperately and he struggled against the horribly tall figure pinning him down.

"My lord," Radek said carefully. "He cannot answer if he cannot breath."

Ronon growled and the first tingles of fear rushed through her. He seemed to stiffen slightly and Elizabeth heard Bates gasp for air as the fingers around his neck tightened again.

"Ronon," she said taking a slow step towards him. "If you kill him, you'll never know what he told the Wraith. This time or any other."

For a second, she thought he didn't care what the Wraith knew. Then he released Bates, letting him fall in a heap to the floor and turned to look at her, standing only a step or two away. She kept hold of his eyes, not daring to look away for fear he'd kill the man in a second. There was hatred, a deep hurt that this man he'd trusted in his house had managed to betray him so easily to an enemy so horrible. She waited, watching as the pain softened slightly and he reached a hand up to stroke at her cheek before he turned back to Bates.

"Tell me," Ronon demanded. "Or I will kill you."

"And then you'd have nothing," Bates said using what Elizabeth had said as his bargaining chip.

"Better nothing and a dead betrayer than a living and silent idiot. Either way I'd have nothing. So you tell me, and I spare your life, maybe even let you go through the gate to stay with your friends." That seemed to frighten the man and Ronon didn't miss a beat of the fear that flashed on Bates' face. "I see," Ronon said, his smile spreading dangerously over his face. "You don't want to live with your new friends and you think them worse than me?" Ronon back handed him sharply enough to make everyone in the room jump. "Your options are limited. Tell me, and perhaps we can come to some arrangement."

"You have nothing I want," Bates spat back.

"And the Wraith do? You want your freedom and you won't find it if you are silent."

Bates seemed to consider that for a moment. If he told them what he'd shared with the Wraith, then he could bargain for the rest of the intel he'd given up. Gain his life and freedom in one gulp.

"I gave them the Earth gate address."

A collective gasp went around the room and both John and Lee moved towards him. Elizabeth quickly stepped in their way to stop them approaching. Regardless of what information Bates had given out, he was Ronon's problem to deal with.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Lee bellowed. "There are billions of innocent people on that planet who have done nothing to harm you."

"Sir?" Elizabeth turned to the far door behind the Atlantis party to see Major Lorne standing there. "News from Atlantis is that the Wraith ships in orbit have moved off. The other ships in range of our sensors are on the move, too."

"Guess they didn't need travelling snacks," John said sarcastically.

"Take him to the prison," Ronon ordered through gritted teeth. "I'll deal with him next year."

As they dragged Bates from the room, Elizabeth watched a silent exchange pass between John and Lee. If she were in her father's boots right now, she'd want to be in the meeting that was about to follow, but from John's point of view, that would be a hindrance. A moment later, her mother stepped forward and coaxed him from the room. Behind her, Rodney dismissed the two others who had joined their party and thanked Lorne for the information.

When the doors to the hall were closed at last, she was left in the room with Ronon, Kate, Rodney, and John, and the tension in the air was thick enough to slice with a knife. For a while, no one spoke, but Ronon moved closer to her, his hands going straight to her waist and she rested hers on his arms and looked into his eyes.

He was lost. She could see it clear as day. He didn't know what to do next to put things right. From the corner of her eye, she could see Kate, her back to them leaning on a chair. She was probably running through their options quickly before this whole mess became an all out war between the two planets. Rodney was pacing the other side of the table and John's eyes were fixed on her. She wanted to say something, tell him what to do next, but she didn't know how the talks had been going to start with.

Taking a calculated move, she stepped forward, placing herself into Ronon's embrace, she shivered with pleasure as his hands slipped around her waist almost too low to be considered her back. She placed her face to the side of his, so that John couldn't see as she whispered in his ear.

"It's not over until someone says no," she said. Ronon turned slightly to her; pressing his lips against her ear, he whispered a thank you and then pulled back.

"I'll understand," Ronon began, turning his full attention to John. "If you want to call this off now, but before you make that decision, I'd like to point out that right now, you need our help all the more and likewise, we're likely to need yours when they come back and find their contact gone."

John's face was like stone. She couldn't get a single glimpse at what he was thinking behind angry eyes and a set jaw. His eyes flicked to hers and there must have been something in her expression that made him move a split second later.

"Let's sign the treaty," he said simply. Elizabeth smiled slightly as Rodney spun around on the spot to stare at him. "Everything we've agreed on and the idea that there is no shame in asking for more help."

"Agreed," Ronon said, moving to the table to join John. The papers had been made up as they went. She stayed where she was, watching as John added the extra line, then he and Ronon signed it. Kate and Rodney moved in as Ronon turned towards her.

"Kate and McKay sign to confirm that we personally signed the agreement," he explained. "But we need a witness signature, yours would be fitting." She didn't really know what to do, she hadn't signed anything in her life and here she was, being asked to sign a treaty document. She looked at John who nodded in agreement and held out a pen for her.

Her legs felt like jelly as she moved to the table, taking the offered pen as she went and looked down at the document. The first line was the only thing she managed to read: _The acceptance of the marriage of King Ronon (Sateda) and Lady Elizabeth (Atlantis) with no overbearing power..._ Skipping to the end of the document, she took in the signatures and then leaned in and added her own.


	8. Chapter 8

"You signed it?"

"Yes, dad, I signed the agreement, we are allies with Sateda." John had already had this discussion as they walked the corridors of the palace and again in the hallways of the ship and yet his dad still insisted on checking what he'd done as they stepped onto the bridge.

"What were you thinking?"

John stopped abruptly and turned to face his parent. "I was thinking that there are more than three hundred people in Atlantis that rely on me for food, water and medical care as well as their safety. I was thinking that Atlantis and Earth seem stuck five hundred years in the past with concubines and slaves made up of people who, by complete chance, don't have the right gene to use Ancient technology, even when they come from a family who have a strong, proud history of firm genes. I was thinking that I'm sick of living every day afraid of the Wraith or starvation because Earth's last supply stock was enough for two hundred and fifty people for six months instead of three hundred. Ronon is a nice guy, he's fair to his subjects which means he'll be fair to us. Why? Because I discovered today that he has no interest whatsoever in claiming Atlantis, he's in love with Elizabeth."

He turned sharply and crossed the bridge to the long range communications station. They'd already sent up a theoretical request to the ship and he wanted to know if they needed to send the warning home now, or get a move back to Atlantis to send it from there. Ideally they would go straight for Atlantis, but Rodney hadn't had the chance to recharge their ZPM supply recently and they were running low. To dial Earth would be to deplete the last of their power and leave them completely vulnerable. He was using it as a last resort, working out if they could send the message and have it reach Earth before the Wraith. Then they'd have to quickly get off the ship so it could head back home and help out.

"It's not good. By our calculations the communication will only reach Earth a few days ahead of the Wraith, even if they stop to regenerate for 15 hours."

"The _Prometheus_ can make it back a day ahead of them, two at best," Jack put in. "Basically, either way they'll have two or three days warning if we do it."

"Then I better get off this ship so you can go. Don't bother with the comm., I'll make the call and lock Rodney in the ZPM room after he's sent our two emergency units up here for you to use."

John turned and headed back towards the door, his parents behind him. He heard the click of the intercom as he made his way to the transporter room. _'All non-essential personnel report to transporters, minimal crew compliment for immediate return journey to Earth.'_

He turned into the transporter room to find a few people were already ahead of him, and as he joined them in the beam out spot, he turned to see both his parents standing off to the side.

"You can't go back," he told them.

"We'll stay and help with the evacuation, then we'll get back to Atlantis," Kathy said with a warm smile. "Get going," she said indicating the tech in control of the transporter. John had a brief glance of his father's smile before he vanished and found himself back in the entry hall of Sateda.

"John." He turned sharply to see Elizabeth standing there. "Did you send the message?"

"No," John said indicating to everyone else to get through the gate. "I'm gonna have to dial from Atlantis. Probably won't be able to dial us for a while and we're evacuating anyone off the _Prometheus_ who doesn't need to be there."

"Why?"

"The less people on board the more power they can put into the engines and get them home faster." She nodded in understanding then John quickly ushered her to the side. "Elizabeth, tell me you're not agreeing to the marriage just because he asked or because he's set you free. Tell me you love him."

"I was trained as a concubine, John. All I know about love is what I've read in books. I can't tell you I love him because I don't really understand what it is. But I can tell you that I'm not afraid of him, that I feel safe with him, and I know he can teach me the world."

"You've only been here for a month," John said.

"You gave me away like a thing," she said, not at all bitter about it. "He told me I could be more. He could have used me the first night that I was here; he could have used me the next morning when I demanded to see him so I could fulfil my role. I sat there and waited for him to finish my training and do you know what he said when he came in? 'Women should be treated with the respect of their status, a status they earn, not learn.'"

John nodded. He could understand what she was thinking to some extent, but he was worried that years down the line she'd regret agreeing to marry him.

"John. When I was little, I used to play games with the others in the orphanage, play at being a parent. Get a doll and pretend it was my baby. I asked Carson once if I would be able to have children, he told me no, he told me that any child I accidentally bore, would be taken from me the second they found out about it. _'No children of concubines, it eliminates the risk of more geneless people.'_ "

"You want children."

"I've always wanted everything I can't have," she explained. "Every concubine does and you unwittingly took that from me. And now you've given it back."

He held her gaze for a minute before a thought occurred to him. She was right here, the key to undoing their horrible and antiquated ways.

"Elizabeth," he said, knowing he sounded uncharacteristically excited. "When you're married, when you're queen here, will you help me undo Atlantis' past?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're the first concubine who isn't a concubine. You step back into Atlantis for a second and you'll have undone everything our ancestors put in place. I want to abolish the laws that stop people like you becoming something. There have always been better jobs the geneless can do. Will you help me take those steps?"

"Yes."

He was quick to lean in and kiss her cheek. "I need to go. I expect a wedding invite."

"You're first on my list," she said with a grin. "Mostly because I've only just realised I need a list." John laughed, hugged her quickly and jogged off to the gate room.

~*~

On the morning of her wedding, Elizabeth woke strangely early. The dark room seemed to loom over her in warning, but she couldn't feel afraid of it, or anything for that matter. She was getting married to a wonderful man, something she never in her life expected – especially since she'd always been taught that she couldn't marry unless John Sheppard freed her to do so. Seems he'd done just that. She pulled her knees up, untangling herself from the sheets and her night gown and wrapped her arms around herself. Everything in her world was about to change. She'd already gone from concubine to Lady and now she was about to become Queen Elect.

The ceremony to officially make her queen of Sateda wasn't for another week, but after today she would be known as 'highness' and that thought alone was a little scary. To take her mind off today, Kate had started to prepare her for the crowning, which had done nothing to distract her at all. It had only served to remind her that everything she'd been taught for ten long years was about to be completely turned over. They'd extended an invitation to John Sheppard for both ceremonies and told him that he could bring anyone who was interested in coming. She'd love to see him there, and she'd like to see Carson there too, though she didn't hold out much hope. The one thing she really wanted, and knew she was getting, was her parents.

The door creaked open and Teyla slipped into the room with plates in her hand. Obviously expecting Elizabeth to still be asleep, she headed straight for the table and began ever so carefully setting up breakfast. Elizabeth waited until her hands were empty before she spoke, afraid of making her server jump and drop something, though she had to admit the idea was funny.

"Teyla," she said quietly. Teyla swung around, hand to her chest and glared at her in the dim light.

"I expected you to be asleep."

"I don't know what woke me," she admitted, now starting to wonder. "Perhaps the excitement."

"Most people call those nerves," Teyla offered with a smile. "Do you feel well?"

"I feel fine, surprisingly calm."

"I will have to remind you of that later when you are pacing the room furiously."

She laughed. There was a distinct possibility that she would be doing just that when everything was being done for her and she had nothing to occupy her mind except picking at her nails and walking the length of her room. She hoped Kate or Teyla had a plan for the day that kept her on her toes until she had to get into her dress, or as Teyla had called it the day before, 'get into her princess outfit'. In one and a half hours she'd go from Lady to Princess, which was Kate's estimated time from getting into the dress and being pronounced wife to King Ronon Dex.

"Elizabeth Sheppard," she said causing Teyla to turn back to her after returning to the breakfast table. "Elizabeth Weir," she added watching Teyla cross the room to sit beside her on the bed. "Elizabeth Dex." She gave a huff of a laugh and smiled. "It's a wonder I can remember who I am."

"You know exactly who you are. Your name is irrelevant. You are, as of now, and will be forever more, Queen Elizabeth of Sateda." Teyla gave a half bow while sitting and Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at the effort.

"As queen, I'd be in my right to punish you for attempting that while sitting down."

"You would," Teyla said, moving to sit back against the headboard beside Elizabeth. "But if you punish me now, you will not be ready for your wedding."

"Then I shall have to give myself the day to think of something," she said, then settled back into the silence that fell between them. "I'm scared, Teyla," she said a moment later. "Not of the wedding, not of forever belonging here, not of Ronon." She knew Teyla's brow had creased without needing to look. "I'm scared of tonight."

"From child concubine, to woman queen," Teyla said understanding her fear instantly. "I am twenty five, Elizabeth. Did you know that?" Elizabeth shook her head. "I have never shared a bed with a man. I came close once. He offered, and I had initially agreed. Then, standing in his room, I became very afraid and quickly turned and left."

"How old were you?"

"Twenty two," she said and gave Elizabeth a smile. "I liked him, very much so, but I didn't love him as you do Ronon. Tonight, when you are in his room, with no one but him, remember one thing - he will never hurt you."

"He told me a few days ago that if I was still not ready tonight, then he would wait as long as it took. But I can't ask that of him, can I?"

Teyla hummed in thought. "You could, if he has said you can. But you have to ask yourself if you want to. Only you can say if tonight you are ready to become a woman. You will have no choice at becoming royalty and you will have no choice at becoming the Queen of Sateda, but you have been given control over becoming a woman and no one, Ronon least of all, will blame you if you want to take things one step at a time."

"I don't want to make him wait," she said quietly. "I don't want to wait, but at the same time..."

"I should imagine every girl goes through the same thing, afraid of the stories they have heard, people who tell you the first time hurts and that you'll take no pleasure in it. But you don't know for a fact that it is true. You also do not know that you will not take pleasure before or even after," she said giving Elizabeth a sly look.

"Teyla!" Elizabeth said indignantly. Teyla laughed loudly. "Would you like to bathe before or after breakfast?" she asked settling quickly and making a start on the day.

"Before," Elizabeth said pushing her covers off as Teyla got up to draw the bath.

~*~

Ronon stepped back into his room and looked around, the decor had never really made him think twice. It was, after all, the kings quarters. Today though, it bothered him. He wanted Elizabeth to stay here in this room forever with the understanding that she could retreat to her own room if she felt the need or was carrying his children.

The thought brought to mind the last time he had tried to tease Elizabeth, make her comfortable with him touching her. She had been willing until he had almost made contact with her sex. Then she had panicked. He hadn't tried again since and now he was afraid she wouldn't be ready for tonight. He had meant it a few days ago when he'd told her he would wait, but he was growing desperate and his hand for company and her naked body on his mind, was no longer enough.

He wanted her and he wanted her to enjoy it and above all he wanted her to want him. He had already gone through the idea that she had agreed to marry him because he had asked or because he had freed her.

He crossed the room, stepping into the bed chamber and looked around again. There was nothing for a woman in either room. It was a man's domain and he needed to find a way to change that, and fast. He turned back to the main room as the door opened ready to give orders to servants and found his father standing in the doorway.

"I'm told the king is finally getting married. I spent years telling you that you had to find a queen and produce an heir and all it took was for me to move to Cantis."

"I'm not convinced you'd approve of this marriage anyway," Ronon replied waving off his last parents comments.

"Why would I disapprove? Is she hideous and you are just marrying her to shut me up?"

"No," Ronon said stoically.

"Did she blackmail you or pay you?"

"No."

"Is she a servant?" His tone was a little too playful. They had joked about that once, a long time ago.

"Not on this planet." The expected look of horror crossed his father's face for a second before Kate stepped around him and made herself known.

"Katie," his father bellowed. He had handpicked her to look after Ronon and secretly Ronon suspected he had hoped they would fall in love.

Wisely, when they parted, Kate closed the door of the room. It made him feel oddly trapped, but then again the conversation had to happen eventually and there was nothing his father could do now.

His father stared at him, obviously using his old stand-and-wait method that used to work for getting the truth when he was a small boy. Now though, it just made him return the challenge. Standing beside them with one brow raised, he could see Kate's patience wearing thin and it would only be a few minutes before she'd break the silence.

"What did I miss?" she asked a moment later.

"What do you mean 'she's not a servant on this planet'? Wow," he said a hand to his head, "I can't believe how many questions came with that."

"Oh," Kate said and slowly turned towards the door. "I think I'll go see to Elizabeth first."

"Stop right there young lady." Ronon had to smirk, he knew Kate hated being called that. "You let him fall in love with a servant from another planet?"

"I was shocked he'd fallen in love," she said coyly. The look he gave her would have frightened anyone else into submission. "It's not as bad as it seems; no one other than us, Elizabeth, and her server knows she was a concubine on Atlantis."

"A concubine! Well that's a relief, and here I thought it would be something like a house maid."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, dad."

"Don't think you're too old for a smack, boy. You better start explaining."

"Sheppard brought her here as a gift to start alliance talks."

"It's a lot more complicated than it sounds. For a start, Elizabeth is John Sheppard's sister, though she was born without the gene. She was raised as a concubine and brought here before her initiation."

"Okay, hierarchy family background, still pure and yet still a _concubine_."

"Technically not a concubine." Kate said and paused for just a moment. "We don't have them here and by Atlantis law, a concubine is a woman who gives pleasure to a man, which she hasn't yet done. By our laws, and taking into mind that she now belongs to Ronon, her status comes before any training."

Ronon knew the look of confusion on his father's face was a mirror of what was on his face. What Kate had said made complete sense and was absolute logic; the problem was, Kate had never been able to quote law. He had suspected for years that she didn't know anything about Satedan law.

"I've been reading law books to help Elizabeth."

"Help her do what?" his father asked.

"She wants to learn diplomacy so she can advise Ronon and be the intermediary for him and Sheppard."

"The intermediary?"

"Let's go back to me saying she's Sheppard's sister."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you either. I'm aware that she has a brother in high places. That doesn't mean she'll have any control in that city unless she's acknowledged as his sister. And I don't just mean by him; it has to be the whole of their current hierarchy - Sheppard, his advisors, anyone he regularly has in meetings."

"Well," Kate started and he knew what she was thinking. There were eight people who sat in the meetings. "We have Sheppard and possibly McKay."

Ronon turned away. "Beckett sits in the meetings," he said.

"Beckett?"

"Elizabeth's trainer," Kate explained. "He wasn't exactly pleased that we had taught her to ignore ten years of training."

"Well, that's a shocker."

"You're not exactly helping."

"Fine. You want my help, then I need to meet Elizabeth."

"Teyla's probably waking her for breakfast about now." Kate turned and vanished out the door to check.

"Tell me you're not marrying her because of who her brother is, and I'll believe you. Tell me you're not marrying her because she'd be toned and shaped as a concubine should, and I'll believe you, but you better follow both with a good reason to marry this girl or you'll find no help from me today."

"Ask me after you've met her. If you need to."


	9. Chapter 9

Teyla's first week in the palace had been nerve wracking. She hadn't known where anything was or who anyone was, with the exception of the king. She spent a large portion of her time following other servers around and learning how to do various tasks, none of which stood out so much in her mind as the one she had been trying to accomplish when the king's father had arrived.

Problem was, it had been a stupidly simple thing; starting a fire in the guest room. He had burst in, his aids behind him and his first comment had been about her backside and just as embarrassing to Ronon as it had been to her. Thankfully, he didn't seem to remember the event. Either that or he was too engrossed in Elizabeth to pay her any mind.

Elizabeth had been rightly nervous when Kate had told her the king's father wanted to meet her. Had Teyla been in her shoes, she wouldn't have been so calm when the man burst in and walked an appraising circle around her. Elizabeth hadn't even flinched and Teyla briefly wondered if Kate had, for the first time, been thankful for her concubine training.

The plain dress Elizabeth had been rushed into was slightly creased from their hurried scramble. Teyla prayed he wouldn't mention it and would focus on Elizabeth. Though that thought alone was a worry. She didn't know what he'd been told about her to begin with.

"Well, you look good enough to be a queen," he said coolly.

"Thank you, my lord." Across the room Kate's brow went up, obviously how to address him hadn't been something Kate had covered while talking quickly to Elizabeth.

"Though," he said pausing to look the girl in the eye. "The wet hair doesn't have much of an impact."

"I'm sure dirty hair during the ceremony would be a much worse display."

He let out a sharp laugh and Kate visibly relaxed. It seemed to Kate as though Elizabeth had passed whatever test the king would give her, but she was sure Elizabeth didn't know that and she was probably hoping or praying that this would be over soon.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"A horrible age," he said seeming to stop to study her face again. "Do you consider yourself a child or a woman?"

"I am a child until tonight."

"And what makes you worthy of being queen to these people and my son's wife?"

"Hunten, that's not fair. You've just had her admit she is still a child. She can't possibly be expected to answer that."

"And in my experience, a king or queen is asked unexpected things for which they have no choice but to answer," he said. Teyla felt a strange understanding that he was testing her responses.

"I don't believe I am worthy," Elizabeth said carefully and completely unafraid to admit it. "But I do believe that the King's father set up a strong enough reign, that in his wake that I will have enough support to teach me that worth."

Hunten's brow went up instantly and both of Kate's were in danger of vanishing into her hair line. It had been a surprisingly truthful and diplomatic response for someone as young as Elizabeth. Relaxing his face into passiveness, Hunten began to study Elizabeth intently. Under the same scrutiny, Teyla would have felt nervous and would have failed horribly at keeping her expression as relaxed as Elizabeth's currently was as she held his stare.

"Are you afraid, Elizabeth?" he asked.

"Of some things, yes."

"Of me?"

She contemplated her answer. "Should I be?"

Hunten let out a laugh, just as short and sharp as Ronon's. "Tell me what you are afraid of."

Again she didn't answer immediately, taking her time to compose her response before she spoke it aloud. For a minute, Teyla was afraid she wouldn't answer at all.

"That I will not be the wife or queen Ronon expects of me."

"The fact that you are afraid of that," he said making a motion for Kate who moved to the door. "Tells me you are exactly what he needs and wants." With a small bow to her, Hunten turned and vanished out of the room. Kate gave Elizabeth a smile before she followed him out and shut the door.

Teyla didn't move, planning to wait until Elizabeth did. When she became impatient, she moved to the side of her friend carefully and found the young girl crying. To her, the meeting had gone very well. Hunten seemed to have agreed that Elizabeth was the right person, but something seemed to be wrong from Elizabeth's point of view. Teyla closed the gap between them and wrapped the girl in a hug that degraded Elizabeth into small sobs. She was about to move her back to the bed when the door opened again and Kate reappeared. Teyla heard her sigh before she separated Elizabeth from her and moved her to the bed.

"He's not easy, I know," Kate tried, but Elizabeth shook her head.

"I can't do this," she admitted. "I don't even know how to be a woman, let alone a wife and a queen. Everyone expects so much from me."

"You're right," Kate agreed, pulling Elizabeth close to her side and encouraging her to rest her head on her shoulder. "People do expect a lot from you, but they, the people outside these two rooms, don't know who you are. But we, on the inside, know exactly what you can do, and I know everything is coming to you so fast, but you have an advantage." Elizabeth lifted her head to give Kate a confused look. "You have me."

Elizabeth laughed, and Teyla couldn't help but smile.

"What?" Kate asked, faking innocence. "I'm useful, some of the time."

Elizabeth laughed a little more. Several times in the libraries of the city Kate had admitted she knew nothing of politics and law and yet she was the king's advisor. Elizabeth had bravely asked her how she'd managed to get such a title with so little knowledge.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Kate said. "He was shocked you were so calm. He had expected a nervous, pretentious young lady with all the training of a concubine and nothing else. He's impressed that you have tried to make yourself useful to Ronon instead of just taking your new status and living the luxury. You've already shown him that you have the ability to learn to be better. That's something you can teach your children so they are ready to take over as King or Queen."

"I do not remember there being a queen on Sateda." Teyla said, her historical lessons had always been about Kings.

"There was one," Kate said. "Four kings back, before the fourth. She lasted about a month before the city rebelled against her tax laws. She was superseded by her cousin who had her banished to Kalnat."

"Kalnat?"

"Okay, adding geography to your lessons," Kate said. "But not today. We have loads to do between now and your wedding and the first is breakfast."

Elizabeth smiled. Today was going to be a long day.

~*~

Ronon couldn't believe his staff had managed to set up the wedding at only a week's notice. They had managed greatly and the messengers they'd sent out with invitations had shined through. After this, when Elizabeth was settled and crowned Queen of Sateda, he'd have to find a way of saying thank you to the staff and he'd do it with her input. She was going to be there for him for the rest of their lives and already he'd realised just how much he would be dependent on her when he couldn't control his emotions or when he was completely lost.

He looked around his room once more, it looked better than it had this morning, with a few flowers and ladies' objects in the room. He'd arranged for another dressing table to be brought in and filled with things Elizabeth would use and had added a compliment of new dresses to his wardrobe for her. One of his servers had suggested a couple of more feminine tapestries on the walls and he'd thanked her for the idea and asked her to pick the ones to hang.

Before he turned back to the door, he settled his eyes on the hanging on the wall between his and Elizabeth's room. He knew there was an identical one on the other side where Elizabeth was currently taking her last ten minutes as a young woman. He didn't know if she'd spotted the duplicated tapestry when she had been in his room before, and he didn't know if she'd moved hers at all and discovered what was behind it. He'd show her tonight.

Smiling, he turned to the door and opened it to find Radek standing with his security guards waiting. With the extra people in the palace, Radek Zelenka had decided he wasn't taking chances. The walk for him from chambers to main hall would be done with three guards and Radek. When the king was safely in his place, guards included, Radek would return for Elizabeth who, as Radek put it, was in more danger from jealous women than he was, would be escorted by him, five guards, Kate and Teyla.

He paused at her door, wishing he could open it and peek inside, catch a glimpse of her before she was completely ready. He remembered what she'd been wearing when she'd first stepped into the hall, he'd noticed her before he'd taken in John and McKay. The small skirt she'd been wearing had ridden up slightly when she'd stood and he'd almost been disappointed that it had still covered her, though only just. The strapped top she wore had been soft and loose and dropped over her shapely figure easily. Had her breasts been just a little bigger, the top would have hung just under her chest instead of a few centimetres down her stomach. He remembered a jewel in her belly button, a green diamond, he was sure of it. He hadn't asked Kate about it, but he was curious to know if she still wore it.

"My lord," Radek said, turning his attention to the two men walking towards them. The server of the two stopped a few steps away and bowed respectfully.

"My lord, Master Beckett from Atlantis would like to speak with Lady Elizabeth for a moment."

"The choice belongs to Lady Elizabeth and Lady Kate," he replied before moving off along the corridor with a nod to Carson Beckett. He heard the knock on Elizabeth's door as he turned the corner. The next time he would return to the corridor, Elizabeth would be in his room preparing herself for her first night with him.

~*~

Carson twisted his fingers together as he waited. At least two minutes had passed since the server inside the room had closed the door to ask Elizabeth... Lady Elizabeth if she wished to speak with him and he grew considerably more nervous the longer he had to wait. She only had five minutes before she had to be down in the main hall and if she wasn't ready, they'd both be cutting it fine. His head shot up as the door opened again and the server beckoned him in. Swallowing hard, he moved into the room. It was a sight to see, items scattered across the bed and desk space and her dress still hung on the door of the wardrobe.

"I'm afraid you'll have to say what you need with us in the room," Kate explained. "We are behind our own schedule."

Carson nodded nervously and turned to Elizabeth. She was dressed in only the undergarments that had been provided with a soft, silky, and very see-through slip over the top. Teyla shifted her carefully into the middle of the room, facing him and picked up an item from the bed that looked a lot like a corset. He watched for a moment with a raised brow as the server wrapped it around her waist.

"Only for special occasions," Elizabeth said. "Thankfully," she added as the server pulled a string tight across the back of it.

Carson smiled. "I wanted to apologise. I didn't... You have to understand that I've spent my life training young women to become the best concubines Atlantis has ever seen and there you were, completely ignoring everything I'd taught you."

"I never would," she said. "Not completely. Lady Kate has taught me to adjust most of my training for another purpose. My posture will always be what you taught me to maintain. The information on how to address people will always be useful, and as it was you who taught me to read, then it should make you happy that I am putting it to good use with my new lessons."

The server finished and took a step away from her and Elizabeth moved a step forward. Carson glanced at the other two women. Both of them seemed ready for the wedding already and they were now completely attentive to Elizabeth.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Carson. You thought all the hard work you had done had been completely forgotten and it never will be."

Carson nodded in thanks. "I never knew John was your brother. I can understand now why he took such an interest in you. Your beauty runs in your family and I know for a fact that your children, especially the girls, are going to have a hard time staving off the suitors."

"Not with Ronon as their father. It'll be one stern look and they'll be running."

He chuckled. "Then perhaps you should keep your eye on him in case he frightens off the right one."

Elizabeth smiled. She'd have to keep that in mind.

"Thank you," she said delicately. "You've taught me a lot and I will never forget it. I was afraid you wouldn't come to the wedding, thought perhaps I'd lost you as a friend."

Carson stepped forward and kissed her cheek carefully. He didn't want to ruin anything they'd done to add to her beauty so he moved carefully and pulled away slowly.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"We're gonna miss it if we don't get you into this dress," Kate said.

"See you in a minute," Carson said, turning to the door as Teyla unhooked the dress. He paused to turn back as the dress was lifted carefully over her head. She didn't look away as they settled it down around her, she just smiled at him until he turned and opened the door.

~*~

He wanted to pace. He wanted to send someone to find out what was taking so long. Carson had returned several minutes ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed since the man had stepped back in and joined the Atlantis party. The hall was packed, the first four rows on one side filled with people from Atlantis. John, his parents and his entire council had the first two rows filled. His mother had joined the group late, bustling into the hall dressed perfectly and apologising to him for almost missing the moment. Since she'd sat down twenty minutes ago she had been in deep conversation with his father and Ronon couldn't help but wonder what they were discussing. It could only be one of two things, either the issue in Cantis that had delayed her travel or Elizabeth.

"Relax," Cameron said from his right side. "You've already scuffed a foot print into the rug." Ronon looked down on instinct, he had done no such thing, but still he couldn't stop from shifting his feet. Perhaps Elizabeth had changed her mind and Kate would appear any minute to tell him.

The door at the back of the room opened and Ronon turned fast enough to make his head spin a little. Kate and Teyla stepped into the hall, vanishing quickly along the back of the room and down the side to their seats, though Ronon didn't pay any attention to them. His eyes were fixed on the figure left standing alone in the door.

Every person in the room, from his parents to the civilians who had been allowed entrance, rose to their feet and the musicians began to play a slow tune to guide her down the aisle. Calmly, she began to walk forward and for the life of him he couldn't take in the fact that the crowd began to bow to her as she passed them. She was beautiful. The white dress she had on was trailing along the ground behind her and there was a delicate and slight lace overcoat to add pattern to the plain design. It wasn't until she came closer that he realised the overlay was a slightly off white colour. He would probably forget the fact in an hour from now. The dress hugged at her body perfectly, showing every man in the room her figure until it dropped down from her hips to the floor. Her shoulders were bare, a slight covering of lace from the overcoat was all that stood between any contact and her skin and it was so open and thin that it was barely a covering at all.

She stopped at the end of the aisle and Cameron had to nudge him forward to remind him he had a purpose in the room beyond staring at her. Breathing slowly to tame his body, he stepped forward and offered her his arm. The simple touch of her hand on his arm had him suppressing a shudder and he licked his lips nervously as he guided her up the three small steps to stand on the level between the priest and their guests. It was a second before he realised he had to start the ceremony.

"I bring this woman before you and request you join our souls for eternity."

"And of the friends and family you have included," the priest took over, "do any of them object to your joining?"

Silence filled the room.

"Will the families of these two please step forward?"

There had only been a short explanation of the ceremony to the Atlantis party that morning and he hoped it would be enough. They had been told to act when requested and if unsure, to mirror what his parents did. It was the only solid advice he could make. He and Elizabeth slipped down to their knees as their parents took two of the three steps up towards them and Elizabeth release his arm ready for the next step.

When Ronon was younger, he had sat through a wedding ceremony and at the end of it, he remember complaining to his father that it had been too short, that there seemed to be something missing. Now though, it was already too long. Traditionally, weddings on Sateda were held late in the day, and today was no exception. The married couple would not have to endure a party or meal after the ceremony. They would not be forced to wait hours before they could share a bed and begin their lives together.

The priest's speech ended and Ronon looked up at the old man waiting for the cue to raise his arm. The two small boys, dressed as priest's aids, moved from behind him and stood facing each other, one in front of Ronon and the other in front of Elizabeth a red ribbon strung between them would mark the joining of their souls. Raising his hand in indication to the joining, the priest uttered a prayer and Ronon and Elizabeth lifted their inner arms and placed them carefully on top of the ribbon. Ronon couldn't resist pressing his left arm to Elizabeth's right, the touch minimal and a small blessing.

"We join our souls for comfort and companionship," the priest started, taking the ends of the red ribbons and crossing them over above their wrists. He held the crossed point above them, not allowing it to touch their skin yet as he finished. "King Ronon has already told me his wish, so I must ask the Lady Elizabeth if she, of her own free will, wishes to be joined to him for eternity."

"I wish it," Elizabeth said, firmly and clearly leaving him with no doubt that she had not changed her mind. Cameron moved into sight at that moment and placed a piece of white ribbon under the crossed red ribbon and over their wrists. Holding it carefully in place, he waited as the red cross was lowered to their arms and tied once over the white ribbon to hold it in place. Taking the ends from Cameron, the priest drew them up above their arms for the guests to see. He raised his face to the ceiling and began the final prayer as he knotted it loosely and let the ends fall free, fluttering down on either side of their joined wrists.

Ronon pushed back moving to his feet as the priest made the pronouncement of their joining. Elizabeth moved easily with him, though their height difference made them adjust their joined wrists slightly. Firmly on their feet, the priest bowed to them and before he'd managed to straighten the crowd had begun to clap. In several minutes time, he would be able to tell his father he'd changed his mind about the length of the ceremony - it was just long enough.

They turned, Ronon guiding Elizabeth to walk around him to face the crowd. They had crossed paths and were now standing on each other's side of the hall. Ronon couldn't help but smile as they started to walk back down the centre of the crowd, still clapping and grinning wildly. Outside the hall, with the door shut, their mothers moved in and Ronon was thankful that his mother began to help Kathy untie the ribbons and place the red around Elizabeth's wrist and the white around his.

He couldn't find anything to say to Elizabeth as the small group parted. The women – his mother and hers, along with Kate and Teyla heading towards his chambers - and their fathers, Cameron and John heading for another room in the opposite direction. They had only a minute alone and all he could think to do was kiss her, so he did. A slow and delicate kiss that promised everything he could think of. He pulled back, squeezed her hand and turned to follow the men. He could hear her shoes as she turned and started up the stairs to his chambers.

Half an hour would seem like the eternity he was going to be married to her. He prayed for it to go by quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

Elizabeth let the conversations flow around her. She wasn't really paying attention to what the other women were saying. She was too nervous about what was going to happen in the next hour or so to pay them any mind. When she'd come back up to the room she'd walked close to her mother, hoping vaguely that she could provide some comfort. After all, her mother had been young and in this position once before... right? It hadn't worked. The four women in her company were too relaxed and enjoying themselves too much and she'd love to join them, but she didn't know if she was ready for tonight.

"Are you alright, child?" The short time earlier in the day when she'd met Ronon's mother, Amara, the woman had been a complete contrast to her husband. She practically bounced up to Elizabeth and engulfed her in a hug with no warning or need to question her character. Elizabeth vividly remembered the woman's words as she told not only Elizabeth and Kate that she was beautiful, but the garden's worth of people and workers, too. She had no idea at all if Amara knew what she had been trained for and she hoped it wouldn't make a difference. The woman was wonderful.

"Nervous," Kate said, moving to sit on the bench beside Elizabeth. She reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"She has nothing to worry about," Amara said, placing her hands on Elizabeth's shoulders. "I taught my boy well. He will respect you and your body from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and back again." Elizabeth blushed and turned away. So far, since stepping into the room, all they had managed to do was get Elizabeth out of her dress and corset. Then she'd sat at the dresser and stared at herself in the mirror.

"We should be leaving soon," Teyla pointed out. For the time they'd been up here, Teyla had been an equal to all of them, a friend of the bride instead of her server and secretly Elizabeth felt that way with the woman all the time.

"Absolutely," Amara said getting up and pulling Elizabeth to her feet. "Not that there's much work to do to make you look extra sexy, but we can at least give it a go."

Kate snorted indignantly. "Sorry. He's had a hard enough time keeping his hands off her in a dress, take her down to underwear and a negligee and he's gonna be drooling."

"Not to mention," Amara said taking hold of Elizabeth's wrist and indicating the ribbon, "where I plan to hide this for him to remove." She turned, pulling Elizabeth over to the bed. "This has to be in contact with your skin until Ronon removes it, so in order for us to move it you have to sit on the edge of the bed, and I do mean the very edge." She nudged Elizabeth to sit and then placed her wrist on her thigh. Elizabeth's brow creased as the woman pushed her negligee up slightly so the ribbon on the underside of her wrist touched her skin.

"Amara?" Kate asked, watching as the woman untied the knot around Elizabeth's wrist and let the ribbon fall over her leg.

"Trust me," she said nudging Elizabeth's hand out of the way. "There's nothing better to tease a man than where he has to remove material from." She looked up to give Elizabeth a wink, which made Elizabeth blush even more, before she reached under her thigh and drawing the ribbon around so she could tie it in a delicate bow on top. "I like it," she said with a smile. "White undergarments, black see-through chemise and a red bow."

"With green eyes the king could melt in," Teyla added. Everyone sat smiling for a moment before Elizabeth's mother silently asked Kate and Teyla leave. Both women kissed Elizabeth's cheek before they vanished from the room, leaving her alone with the two mothers.

"This conversation's probably not the most uncomfortable thing you'll do tonight," her mother said sitting down on the other side to Amara. "But it is the most uncomfortable conversation you'll have for a while."

"At least until she's pregnant," Amara interjected.

"Oh, definitely. But there are few things you need to remember tonight and I suspect Carson never taught them to you."

"When I said I taught my son well, I meant it. He will listen to you, Elizabeth. You need to tell him if something's uncomfortable or painful."

"You need to be honest, show him if you find something you like."

"And above all... relax. If you're too tense when he enters you, it'll hurt more." She felt herself blush as they carried on with the advice, listening carefully she felt the butterflies build in her belly and for a moment as they stopped she wanted to cry.

"I'm so proud of you," her mother said, which didn't help her already frayed emotions. "I never dreamed you'd get to be this wonderful, beautiful, and strong." She leaned in and kissed Elizabeth before pulling her into a hug. The two women got up and headed for the door. Elizabeth's nerves tingled as her mother reached for the door handle and she couldn't stop herself.

"Amara," she waited as the women exchanged looks and her mother left leaving the two alone. She didn't know why she'd picked Amara over her mother. Perhaps because it was Ronon's words in her mind. "Would it be wrong, if I told him I wasn't ready?" She felt the tears well up and fought against them. Amara moved over and crouched down in front of her, taking her hands and resting them in her lap.

"Absolutely not. You're seventeen, you're still so young. Just do one thing for me, before he gets here. Ask yourself why it is you're not afraid to marry him, but you are afraid of this. When you know the answer, you'll know if you're ready." She gave Elizabeth a kiss, smiled at her and then left the room.

Elizabeth sat alone where she'd been left. She didn't know why she was so afraid of this. Perhaps because now it was her choice. She felt safe with Ronon. The morning after her arrival she'd sat in her bed in the next room and waited for him. Her mind had been stuck repeating the same thing – this is what you were born for. But that wasn't true anymore; now she was given the choice of when and how it happened. She closed her eyes, remembering the feel of his hands on her that morning, the feel of his body pressed over her, large and daunting and at the same time comforting and right. She remembered all their little teases, alone in various places and he'd run his hands over her stomach, down her back or up her thigh. The one in the maze was the hardest to remember. She'd been comfortable with him teasing, playing pushing his fingers under her shorts. It had been that one moment when he almost touched her that she realised she was excited. She wanted to let him take her dress off there and then. She'd been afraid to show him how much he made her body thrill at the sight of him.

He shouldn't have known then. It would have been inappropriate if someone had found out that he was teasing her in such a way. But now, everyone expected it and if she didn't do this today, she would probably never be ready for it, and that was a much worse thought. The door opened and she looked up as Ronon stepped in. He was careful, as though afraid to frighten her away and his resolve to keep eye contact with her failed almost instantly and his eyes tracked down her body. She felt herself tingle as she'd done every time they were together and for the first time, it felt truly right.

"Elizabeth," he said, his voice catching in his throat. He beckoned her closer, waiting until she got up and moved to stand with him. "I want to show you something first," he said taking her hand and guiding her out into the main room. She had expected everyone to be there, though she couldn't explain why, but the room was completely deserted. He moved over to the tapestry on the wall that separated their rooms. She quirked a brow as she realised it was the same as the one she had in her room. He let go of her hand and reached for a small box sitting on the table beside it. "This is for you. Keep it in your room so you can use it to come to me when you want to, or to keep me away if I hurt you somehow."

She took the box with a creased brow and flipped it open to find a key. She looked up as he moved the tapestry aside and understanding flooded her. There was a door between them, he'd had the key and the chance to go to her from day one and here he was giving her the chance to escape and cut him off.

"You can use it tonight if you're not ready." She snapped the box shut and placed it back on the table.

"I'm ready," she said confidently. Ronon smiled uncertainly, his eyes searching for any signs that she was lying or trying to convince herself. It made her feel self conscious for a moment before she remembered the last things she'd been told. Relaxed and confident with what she tells him. "Besides," she started. "I can't very well go to my coronation with a red ribbon..." she lifted her leg to show him, "tied around my thigh. And I wouldn't want all the advice our mothers just gave me to go to waste." She turned, walking as primly as she could back towards the bedroom.

"What advice?" Ronon asked with a tight throat before he followed her to the bedroom door. Elizabeth turned before it, wanting to let him open it for her, and just smiled at him.

Ronon stopped close to her, looming over her for a moment as her smile faded, then he leaned in and kissed her, slowly at first before he pressed her against the door. She couldn't help moaning softly as his hands slipped over her hips and around to her back, pressing her to him. It felt perfect and she felt the familiar tingle spread down her stomach to her core as he lifted her carefully into his arms and then opened the door to the bedroom.

He pushed it closed behind him and moved up the step to the bed and carefully set her back on her feet. He reached his arms across his stomach to remove his top and was shocked when she stopped him. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she pushed his hands out of the way and lifted the hem of his top slowly up his torso. She had to let him take it from her as she reached his neck; he was far too tall for her to completely remove it. Daringly, more so for her own state of mind, as soon as he had released her hands she placed them on his chest. She could feel his muscles twitch at her touch and he quickly deposited his shirt on the floor as she moved her hands down over his stomach.

"No," he said stopping her as she reached his pants. "Tonight is for you."

"It's for us," she corrected and Ronon smirked.

"Don't worry about me," he said, slipping his hands across her waist and feeling the soft texture of the chemise. He moved his hands around to her back, running down over her backside and began to slide the material up, stepping back enough to watch as it pulled across her stomach and slid up under her breasts. He licked his lips as he moved it off over her head and let it fall to the floor. He couldn't stop the word 'beautiful' from forming on his lips.

He moved in again, hands back on her skin, exploring her flesh, now completely unguarded. He leaned down and she expected him to kiss her, but he dropped lower, pressing his nose in against the crook of her neck. She felt him inhale as he ran his hands down her backside to her thighs, brushing once over the red ribbon before he lifted her off the ground. She gasped and wrapped her arms around him as he moved forward and placed one knee on the bed before leaning over to lay her on top of it.

He reached up, taking her hands from behind his neck and stretched them up over her head, pressing them against the covers before he ran his fingers down her arms, over her breasts and down her stomach. He stopped with his hands on her waist again and bent to place a kiss just above her navel, grinning at the ruby red diamond that now decorated the spot. He spared only a moment's thought at where it had come from and where the green one had vanished to. He moved up slightly, pressing another kiss a little higher and then moved again, and again. He slipped his hands underneath her, moving slowly up to her bra so he could unhook it and remove the garment. The clasp was easy, he just had to slip one side down and the other up and the material would come away easily. He felt her arms twitch as the clip released and he wondered how shy she should actually be. He lifted up, balancing over her as he drew the material up, moving her arms as he went, she dropped her hands back over her head and he took in the fact that she was biting her lip before he let his eyes take in her bared chest.

He struggled to control himself as he ran fingers up her stomach and cupped her breasts, purposely avoiding contact with her nipple. Elizabeth watched him, taking in the pleasure he got from that simple act. He'd barely touched her and he looked as though he was struggling to keep control of himself, panting for breath. She drew her arms down as he lowered his head, knowing what he was about to do. She didn't stop him. She wanted to encourage his actions and she slipped one hand up through the dreadlocks of his hair as he drew his tongue over her nipple. She let her other hand rest on his cheek as he wrapped his lips around her and suckled lightly on the bud.

He pulled back and placed a delicate kiss to the bone between her breasts and then moved up to the other nipple to repeat the action. It felt oddly good, an unusual tingle floating up to her brain that made her breath catch as he flicked the bud with his tongue and gave her breast a squeeze. His eyes flicked up to hers and she knew he was checking to see that she was enjoying it.

As he pulled away he shifted on the bed, pressing himself over her so he could feel her bare chest against his and then leaned in for a kiss that was sweet and loving. For the first time in her life, she thought she understood what love was, really understood it, and as Ronon slipped to her side and drew her up slightly to rest on him, she wondered if he'd always be this gentle and loving with her.

The sweet kiss lasted several long minutes, merging into new and strange things she'd never considered before. He seemed to use the time to teach her this basic piece of information she knew no trainer could teach and she was thankful for it. He was the first man to touch her, to kiss her and he would be the first man inside her body. He would get to teach her everything he liked and find out what she enjoyed at the same time and the thought fascinated her.

Slowly, she pulled away, pushing on his chest to prop herself up before she slipped her leg over him and sat up. Ronon's hands came up instantly to fondle her breasts and she smiled down at him as she settled down over his groin. He was hard, and she couldn't resist rubbing against him a few times until one of his hands dropped to her hip to stop her. She was still nervous about this whole thing, but they were both half naked already and she didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed, until her mind decided it was curious to see him.

"What?" he asked. His voice was raw with lust. He'd caught the touch of a blush that warmed her cheeks.

She bit her lip again, before moving down and to the side. Sitting on her knees she placed her hands in her lap for a second. Ronon lifted up, propping himself on his elbows to look at her. She didn't voice what she wanted, instead she reached out and took hold of the button of his pants. She felt him chuckle and glanced up to see him smiling and she flicked it open before moving to the next one. As she undid the last button a sudden thought occurred to her- when she'd arrived Teyla had told her women customarily wore undergarments, but she had no idea if the men did too. Her brow rose and as she started to shift his pants down she shifted closer to the edge of the bed when he didn't move to help her. She paused and looked up at him, wondering why he was enjoying the moment so much.

"If you wanna look," he said cheekily, "you have to work for it."

She narrowed her eyes at him, slid off the edge of the bed and took hold of his pants, a little below the bulge of his cock. Then she paused. Deviously, she moved one had up to cup him, feeling the size of what was hidden. Ronon dropped back onto the bed with a loud groan and she grinned before seizing his pants and yanking them down. She stopped, looking at him as they passed his hips and his length was freed, uncovered and resting against his stomach. She had to collect herself for a moment before she finally removed the last of his clothing and pulled herself back onto the high bed.

She couldn't stop herself from looking now. He was huge and she wondered if he'd ever be able to fit into her body. The thought also managed to convince her there was no way this wouldn't hurt.

"Elizabeth," he said suddenly moving to sit up. Her fears must have shown on her face and he tipped her chin up to look at him. "We're not there yet, and I promise to be gentle." She nodded and shifted, she didn't know what to do next. He was the one controlling this and he'd let her have the moment of curiosity but it was now passed. Thankfully, Ronon moved, shifting to his knees on the bed and he reached for her, pulling her against him. He kissed her, just a short sweet kiss this time. "Not too late to change your mind."

She shook her head. Tonight would be their night and she'd survive it even if she had to take a couple of days before they did it again. She just had to remind herself that it would get easier. Taking her by the hips, he lifted her so she could stand on the bed. She was thankful the surface was firm or it would have been hard to stay standing as he tucked his fingers under the lacy white panties she had on. He didn't pull them down, though. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her stomach, this time below her navel jewel and then moved down to kiss her thigh just above the ribbon she still had tied there. She looked down at him. The shorter white ribbon was still around his wrist and as soon as she was divested of her last item of clothing they could remove them.

Elizabeth couldn't work out if he was teasing her or himself as he eased the material down over her hips. Pausing to place kisses along the newly revealed skin. When they were down too low though, he stopped pressing his lips to her and she watched him lick his lips several times before her panties were past her hips and he was moving them over the ribbon and towards her knees. She stepped out of them and Ronon eyed the garment for a second before he dropped it to the ground and quickly pulled her down onto the bed.

He laid her carefully on her side, head resting on the pillow as he curled up against her back. She could feel his erection against her backside and wondered what he was doing. She didn't fight him as he lifted her leg over his, drawing her hip closer to him and letting his hand rest on her knee as he tucked his hand under her head and looped his fingers with hers. She let it linger for a second before she moved her hand, turning his so she could untie the white ribbon and lay it out over the pillow.

The hand on her knee shifted a little closer to her core and she shuddered and he stopped. She could guess what he was thinking; she'd done the same thing in the maze before she'd stopped him. It wasn't going to happen here. She dropped back, resting against him and laying her head on his arm, she turned to look up at him. He kissed her nose before he looked down her body and began to move his hand again. Closer and closer it edged towards her sex, stopping to pull one end of her red ribbon and then tug the knot loose, so he could place it next to his white one. Then he continued, and with each inch he passed she could feel the anticipation rising, she wanted him to touch her, to make her feel wonderful. She wanted to know what it was to feel that glorious end the women back on Atlantis had talked about. In the privacy of the night, she'd touched herself, curious to know how it felt, but she'd never found the right way to end it and she'd been afraid the others would find out and tease her.

There was no one here but them and Ronon lowered his head to nudge her neck with his nose again, teasing tiny kisses on her skin up behind her ear as he finally found the crook of her leg and carefully brushing his fingers over her sex. She felt herself flutter as he brushed over her, moving slowly and delicately so he didn't scare her and it was slowly driving her crazy. A moment later he slipped one finger between her lips and she moaned at the sensation of the touch.

"Damn the Ancients," he breathed against her neck. "They've made you too beautiful for me to handle." She chuckled, cutting it off in a strangled moan as he slipped his finger down to her entrance and then quickly back up, brushing against her clit.

Elizabeth shifted her hips and drew her leg higher over his as Ronon settled for teasing at her bud of nerves for a while. It was only a few minutes later that she unconsciously began to rock her hips with his movements and he teased her for a little longer before he drew back down to her entrance and pressed his finger in just a little. She tightened instinctively and heard him whisper 'relax' against her ear. She tried hard to do so as he pressed in a little more, then he drew back and returned to her clit.

He repeated the action several more times, playing at her clit before pressing into her. It seemed like forever had passed before he could easily slide his finger in and out until his second knuckle. Her small noises as he teased her must have told him she was enjoying it as he shifted, pressing his hips against her for a moment before he drew back up to her clit and began to rub against it in earnest. Her hips bucked almost instantly and she felt her breath catch before it became ragged, she tried hard to follow his movements, her hips rocking and stretching out for more of his touch.

"Relax," he whispered. "Let it come."

She groaned loudly as her body stiffened. He didn't stop, not even when she drew her leg back over his and dropped her head back against his shoulder as the orgasm shook her body. He slowed his movements as she relaxed back against him and her eyes opened as he pulled his hand away and brought it up to his lips. He moved seconds later, drawing up onto his knees and down the bed so he could part her legs and flatten himself between them.

"Ronon?" She had never been told of anything like this.

"Trust me," he said before he slipped his tongue out and tasted her. She jerked slightly and watched as he pulled back to lick his lips before he rested his hands on her thighs and leaned in to take one long swipe at her flavour with his tongue. The sensation was exquisite and she gasped and moaned at almost the same time, her hips lifting off the bed to meet him. Ronon chuckled, running his hands down to her knees and back before he leaned in and suckled on her. He continued for a while, drawing her back up to the edge of orgasm before he moved back to his knees between her legs.

He reached over for a kiss and asked if she was ready. She couldn't have answered if she tried, so she nodded. He pulled back, adjusted her hips and guided his length to her entrance. She tightened as he pushed in and he pressed his hand against her stomach and told her to relax. She jerked as he slipped in, stretching her. He waited, not wanting to hurt her more than absolutely necessary and when she relaxed he moved in a little more. It became easier. She instantly knew to relax when he paused and he pulled back now and again, easing the pressure on his length and allowing her to get used to the movement. She could feel herself stretch, but there was no real discomfort to it. Coupled with the amazing sensation, it almost felt good - until Ronon paused pressed against her sharply. He looked up, his eyes locked onto hers as he pressed a little harder, then he drew back, and moved back into position slowly.

She felt the pain of the barrier breaking, a twinge of a sharp ache that made her gasp and her muscles tighten. Ronon pressed his hand against her stomach again before moving low enough to rub her clit with his thumb. He waited, teasing her for a few minutes before he pushed in again, moving past the shattered barrier. She tried hard to relaxed, letting him move easier inside her. He moved carefully, drawing back now and again before pushing further into her. When he finally found himself buried completely inside her he leaned down and kissed her.

"Okay?" he asked. She nodded. It was surprisingly good, the pain abating more and more as time passed and she relaxed. She reached up, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down over her body. He shifted himself to get more comfortable and ran his hands down her body to her knees and drew them one at a time up over his hips. Hooking his hands under her shoulders, he kissed her again and began to move. Slowly at first, letting her adjust to the movement and the sensation and stopping to keep himself in check. "You feel wonderful," he whispered, picking up the pace a little. She couldn't honestly say the same, but at the same time, it didn't feel bad either, just strange with a twinge of pain as he crossed the barrier's old location.

"Ronon," she breathed and he paused, she had meant it as encouragement, but it had sounded more like a plea.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No," she said honestly and with an encouraging smile. "But it doesn't feel all that wonderful to me," she smiled shyly at him. He dropped his head to her shoulder and sighed.

"I was told it wouldn't, that it would get better as we 'practiced'. But you feel so good to me, I don't want to stop and I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't stop," she said, nudging him up and drawing him in for a kiss. "I can't get used to it if you stop."

She held his gaze for a moment, trying to impress that he should just get it over with, that she wouldn't hate him for it the first few times. He nodded slowly and kissed her again.

"Tell me if I hurt you. I love you and I don't want to give you any pain."

"I promise," she said.

He adjusted himself again, giving her room to move if she needed to then began to thrust into her. He moved slowly, carefully to begin with, until he felt her tighten around him. He looked up at her face, her eyes closed and face turned to the side was almost blank. No pain and a slight touch of pleasure flickered over her features on occasion. He picked up the pace, his eyes fixing on her breasts swaying with the movements until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and he found himself enjoying the touch of her hands on his shoulders, relaxed and stroking at his muscles. She lifted one of her legs a little higher over his hip and she tightened, he didn't know if it was in pain or pleasure as his orgasm struck at that moment and he pushed in as deep as he dared before he came.

Spent, he dropped down onto her before rolling them, still joined, to their sides. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close almost afraid he'd hurt her and scared her away, only for her to snuggle against him and release a sigh in his arms.

"Elizabeth," he breathed. She moved, separating them and rising up so she could kiss him, using something he'd taught her she showed him something she'd never thought she'd feel.

"I love you," she breathed as they parted and he reached up to brush her hair back from her shoulder before he settled her back against him and reached for the covers.


	11. Chapter 11

A lot happened in the two weeks after their wedding. The first, and the one Elizabeth was most grateful for, was her coronation date being pushed back. John had come back to Sateda the day after the wedding to ask for some help, for the message that the Wraith were on their way had sparked a panic on Earth, and he was expecting evacuating dignitaries on a mass scale. Atlantis had the room, a whole massive city, but most of it was unexplored to its full extent and they had only enough security for their own people, not thousands more.

Elizabeth remained on Sateda the first week, always close to her husband and always ready to pitch in where needed. Kate had gone straight to Atlantis to work alongside John in command of the Satedan troops they'd sent. In her wisdom, Kate had left Teyla books of information to teach to Elizabeth and considering Teyla had neither the time nor inclination to read them, she had left them in Elizabeth's room for her to tackle in her own time. During the day, she helped the staff gather things to send to Atlantis, followed Ronon to learn what she could about the staff around her and how they operated, or sat reading in the quiet of her room. Teyla had been added to the staff going to and from Atlantis and spent less and less time with her. Elizabeth didn't mind; she was, after all, old enough to tend to herself.

The first evening after John's request, Ronon had returned to their room stressed from a day of running around. She'd wanted to help him relax, give herself to him as she should do every night, but she was sore and the thought of it made her a little self conscious. She'd been considering waiting for him naked, but he'd come back before she'd had the chance and just dropped onto the bed. Taking the opportunity, she'd slipped up onto the bed, straddled him and done her best to relieve the tension in his back and shoulders. It was a few days before they made love again and Elizabeth had found it more enjoyable each time.

The second week was manic. In desperation, John had begged Ronon for any help he could spare. The Wraith had made it to Earth and the people now coming through the gate were no longer dignitaries, but injured, frightened and completely random people off the streets. In a lull of gate activity, Sateda managed to only dial them once and piled as much equipment and personnel as possible through the gate, including the delightful and very strong willed doctor of the palace.

"Elizabeth," Ronon said joining her as she watched the doctor directing people though the gate. "I need you to trade places with Kate. I need her here when the dignitaries arrive from the other continents."

"You want me to be in charge of our people, in Atlantis." She'd stretched out the 'our people', still uncomfortable saying it, though she'd been told it was better to practise.

"You can do this," he said pulling her away from the departing crowd. "You just work with John, make sure everyone has something to do and if you get stuck or someone has a problem taking your orders..." He glanced up at the short woman still ordering the men picking up boxes. "Ask Janet." He grinned. "They're all afraid of her. They do say good things come in small packages."

"That's why babies are so cute," she said.

"Keep that in mind when you're heavily pregnant with our first and you won't let me touch you."

He turned to move away and laughed. "You think I won't let you touch me?" she said stopping him a few steps away. "You'll be giving me back rubs."

"And foot massages," Janet offered.

"Not helping," Ronon said, pointing an accusing finger at the doctor.

"Never said I wanted to." She grinned at him. Ronon turned, moving back to Elizabeth and leaned down to kiss her. "We'll just have to see what I'll be doing after this is all over." It was meant to be a promise, but Elizabeth couldn't help but quirk a brow.

"What if we've already started the process?"

"Then we'll see about it in about seven months." He grinned, kissed her again and then headed back to the main hall.

She couldn't get the smile off her face as she turned back to the group and waited for Janet to tell her what to do. It was only fitting; she seemed to know what was going on this side of the wormhole. As the last of the men vanished through, Janet grabbed the last bag and shouldered it before giving her a look. Elizabeth had to take a deep breath to prepare herself. She wasn't afraid of gate travel, not in the slightest, but on the other side, she'd be in control for the first time in her life and she'd have do it in front of people who'd watched her grow up to be a concubine.

Stepping out into Atlantis was almost surreal. It had been almost two months since she'd left and now she was back and now, everyone here had to treat her with respect instead of the other way around. It was almost as chaotic on this side of the gate as it was back on Sateda, except with a Satedan guard directing traffic instead of Janet. She watched him direct the last of the men down to the lower side of the city as John jogged down the stairs to greet her. He gave a half bow as he stopped in front of her.

"My Lady," he said. "You know, I'm not completely sure how to address you now."

"Well, I'm practically on your level now, so how about we go with Elizabeth."

"Fair enough. And after your coronation?"

She faked thinking about it. "We'll stick with Elizabeth."

"Excellent, what brings you to my current madhouse?"

"I'm trading places with Kate. She knows more about the delegates arriving for the conference than I do and I'm somewhat thankful I don't have to meet them before the coronation."

"Can they object?" John asked leading her up the stairs to the control room.

"No, but they can say what they like to me for the time being, and that's just a little frightening."

"Ah, they're still a higher station than you," he said stopping to get the technician to radio Kate and start dialling Sateda.

"Yeah, the only people higher than them are the royal household, being Ronon, Kate, and Ronon's parents. The highest I'm considered is princess by marriage."

"Elizabeth," Kate said appearing from another stairwell and giving her a curtsey of respect that was completely unnecessary. "Are you here for an update or flying visit?"

"I'm here to trade with you. The new law conference is tomorrow."

"Oh the gods, I completely forgot," she said, just as the gate locked and the event horizon settled. "Teyla is down in the infirmary helping out. Captain Milga," she paused, turning Elizabeth's attention as the captain approached, "will now report to you instead of me. He knows where the guards are and what they're meant to be doing. I usually let him deal with them and listen to whatever he reports."

Elizabeth nodded and Kate looked around, trying to remember if there was anything important she needed to mention before she left.

"Kate," Elizabeth said stopping her. "I'll pick it up as I go," she offered. It couldn't really be that hard, mostly John was in charge, his captain of the guard working with theirs, Janet working with their doctor and so on.

"Did you read any of those books I left?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Hopefully the right ones," she said with a nervous smile.

"Just kick John if he's not being helpful, don't take any crap from Rodney McKay, and let Milga deal with our guards."

"Got it," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "Now go before the gate shuts down."

"Gone," she said sharply, kissed Elizabeth's cheek and jogged down the stairs to walk calmly to the gate. Elizabeth turned, noting that John had taken to doing other things while they talked and then rounded on Captain Milga.

"Do you have an update, Captain?"

"My Lady," he said with a nod. "So far we've only had a few problems with people not following orders from the Atlanteans, but I think I've sufficiently kicked their backsides into listening." Elizabeth laughed a little. "So far there have been over three thousand people come through from Earth. Though their gate times are random, they have to gather people, redirect power and dial as quickly as they can and so far the numbers coming in have numbered between ten and four hundred a go."

"Ten?" she asked. "Why send so few?"

"Seems they had trouble with power, the Wraith are causing more trouble than just culling. We suspect they are attempting to block the gate off, cutting power and trying to dial in, but they have a safety measure in place to stop incoming wormholes." Elizabeth nodded and spun quickly as the gate began to dial again.

"Here we go again. Airmen at the ready," John ordered. He wasn't going to take any chances with the Wraith finding the gate.

"My apologies, my lady," Milga said, grabbing her arm and guiding her into the main control room. "I must go." She nodded, turning to John as he and McKay began typing at the computers.

She was useless for the moment, watching from behind the safety glass. The gate locked and stabilised and Elizabeth took a step forward, past the tech to look down at the room below. There were guards lining the walls along the edge of the room and just off the sides in the corridors beyond she could see medical personnel and a few of her own people waiting to assist. There was silence for a moment, the squeak of John's shoes as he turned to look at the monitor.

"There should be travellers by now. Why aren't there any travellers?" he asked.

"No idea..." The tech was cut off by Elizabeth's short scream as a burst of energy shot through the gate to hit one of the men below, she watched him crumble and another man scramble to move him to safety. A second later three more stunner blasts hit various parts of the room. John pulled Elizabeth back from the glass, turning to see travellers in the gate flux.

"Incoming travellers," he bellowed, placing her between him and the monitor. She barely had the chance to look up at him before someone shouted 'Wraith' and a round of weapons fire followed. The Wraith down, the guards readied themselves below for more intruders, but the next thing through the gate was a very scared looking girl of about six years.

One of the guards moved forward to collect her, barely managing to wrap an arm around her before another Wraith appeared. He sprinted across the room to the stairs, dropping her onto the bottom of them and turned to open fire. Without thinking, Elizabeth moved from behind John, moving down the stairs quickly as the girl started up them, she seized her, pulling her into her arms and almost tripped over her dress as she started back up.

"Hold your fire," a man shouted, appearing in the room below as Elizabeth made it back behind the safety glass. John gave her a stern look before moving out of its safety. "There's no more Wraith, only five of them made it into the base, we've killed the others. Tell me you didn't shoot the girl who made it through."

"She's safe," John said, reaching the bottom of the stairs as more people started to step through. "Nice to see you again, Daniel, I take it you're having a worse day than me?"

"Always," Daniel answered. "There's never a dull moment in this job. If there were we'd be demanding a raise."

"Don't I know it."

Elizabeth moved down the stairs, the girl still in her arms as the guards and medics started to move into the room. She stopped a few paces from the bottom, not wanting to vanish into the mayhem of the crowd. Shivering from fear, the girl rested her head on Elizabeth's shoulder, her eyes watching the crowd move until a woman on one side of the room shouted her name. Elizabeth let her down easy and watched as she vanished into her mother's waiting arms. She watched for a moment longer before she decided she'd be better off helping somewhere else less dramatic. She stepped off the stairs and passed along the line of men to stop in front of one of the Atlantis guards.

"Could you show me to the infirmary?"

"Of course," he said with a respectful bow and turned to lead her from the room.

~*~

John had never in his life been thankful for the different uniforms other planets used. To be completely honest, he'd barely paid them any attention at all, until now. In the last hour, their numbers had gone from three thousand, eight hundred and sixty-three to four thousand, seven hundred and ninety-one and John couldn't thank the Satedan's enough for wearing their uniforms or being dressed as if they'd stepped out of a fantasy movie. The women in particular were the easiest. Those who'd come from Earth were dressed in shorts or short skirts and dresses, not one of them was wearing a flowing gown or a simple dress that touched the floor, unlike the Satedans. The maids, for lack of knowing what they really were, all wore the same outfit, a long skirt, flowing and simple, made with brown material and always containing slits in the dress to give them easy movement and John suspected, to take away the need to hold it and whatever they were carrying while walking up the stairs. The bodice they had on their top half barely touched the skirt on most of them and it was cut low enough to provoke the interest of several of the men, too many considering the situation.

Elizabeth stood out in any crowd. The soft, blue gown she was dressed in had no distinguishing slits or shape to it, though the material flowed with each movement she made as if it were silk or something similar. Over the top she had a white lace jacket that barely showed over the colour of her dress. It made her look as though she should be sitting on a throne with a tiara on her head. Even standing next to the doctor from Sateda, Janet Fraiser seemed almost common in comparison to her. Though Janet's dress was just as elegant, she didn't have the air of royalty that Elizabeth's did. John had noticed the same thing with Kate Heightmeyer and now the comparison was simple. No one had the air and grace that the Queen of Sateda did.

The guards, standing mixed with their own were easy to pick out, dressed in brown leather and each wearing the symbolic castle silhouette of Sateda with another emblem just underneath. If asked, John would guess the second emblem was their rank or division, but he had yet to see proof of that. He'd been considering changing Atlantis' uniforms to something similar when he realised that the idea was crazier than anything he'd ever thought of before. At the moment with almost five thousand people in the city, having the Satedans stand out was a Godsend. If they'd dressed the same as Atlantis and even Earth personnel, no one would know who came from where and as it was, you could only find an Atlantis officer because they were the same bland grey pants and departmental shirt.

"Hello," Elizabeth said making him jump as she appeared next to him. "Checking up on me, or you're wounded?"

"A little of both," John said. "Actually I was just thinking how horrible this mess would be if you were dressed in our horrible clothes." Elizabeth looked down at her dress.

"If I was dressed like your people then at least I might get to do more than talk to the people who came in. So far Janet and Louise haven't let me do anything in case I ruin my dress." John couldn't help but laugh a little and shift to turn around. Elizabeth moved with him, glancing to her side at one of the Satedan maids as they left the room. "I take it there have been no more dial in attempts?"

"None," he said. It was a horrible thought, if the last of the Earth people alive were now in Atlantis. He couldn't hold that thought, there were still five ships out there and they could each hold a few hundred extra people. Assuming they were all still intact.

"Have you tried contacting the ships?"

"So far, our ZPMs are barely managing to sustain the systems we have and keep everyone comfortable. If I call that far away, the power will die and I'll have a lot of complaining people on my hands."

"Let them complain." John's shock stopped him in his tracks and she had to turn to look at him. "John, you're trying to find out if there's still anyone alive on Earth or even if there is an Earth anymore. For most of these people that means the fate of friends and family. For a few hours of cold and stale air, I think they'll be a little happier if you can dial Earth and make contact with someone. Anyone."

"If I do that, you and _your_ people," he couldn't resist elongating the word 'your' for her, "Will be stuck here until we can get another ZPM charged."

"I think we can survive," she said. "Assuming you'll let us eat and drink something now and again."

"I don't know about that," he said jokingly. He moved to step forward, paused and gave her a 'wait here' signal before backtracking a few paces to a door. He opened and instantly the complaining tone of Rodney McKay floated out into the corridor. It was followed by a woman's 'if you think I'm doing it wrong, do it yourself, McKay', which made Elizabeth smile.

"Rodney," John shouted making the man jump and swing around. "Jumpy today, McKay, what's up?"

"Other than the quickly over-crowding, limited space city?"

"There's space for fifty thousand people here Rodney, we don't even have five."

"Yes, but those five are crammed into a very small space."

"Not for long. How's the recharging going?"

"Should have another set of ZPMs for you in about an hour."

"Good, then start on another set, I'm dialling Earth, you'll have to switch to the backups."

"Wait, if we switch to back up power it'll be two hours."

"And if I wait an hour to find out what's going on, it could be too late."

"To do what?" Rodney called as John turned and left.

"Switch to the Naquadah generators, Rodney," he called back before joining Elizabeth and heading for the control room.

He sprinted up the stairs two at a time, leaving Elizabeth to make her way up in her own time. He stopped at the top for a second and turned into the control room to the technician.

"Chuck," he said, sounding a little too haggard. "Anything new?"

"Not a thing. Earth hasn't even attempted to dial in."

"Okay, then dial them," he said turning as Elizabeth stopped a little way from him. "I want to know if you can get a connection and if you can, if there's anyone listening on the other side. Try hailing the ship's frequencies too."

"Yes, sir," Chuck chimed and started tapping away at the keyboard to unlock the dialing computer. He turned as someone approached, asking for a signature and giving him a quick update on the people that had arrived so far. When he looked up again, the gate had dialled six of the symbols.

"John," Elizabeth said as the seventh symbol locked in place. "What are they?"

He turned and studied the screen she was looking at, the local system scanners were active and he could see five Wraith ships moving quickly across it. Another faction of the Wraith were heading for them. He didn't answer her for a moment, watching as the ships turned off course for them and headed for Sateda.

"Stop the dialing program," he said, but it was too late, the last symbol locked. The wormhole established and the lights over him flickered. Deciding quickly to not waste the power it had taken to dial Earth, he opened the comm channel. "Stargate command, this is Atlantis, please respond." He changed frequency and repeated the hail. The lights flickered again and still there was no answer from the other side.

"Shut it down, dial Sateda." He barely managed to get the last word out before the power died and the gate shut down. He had waited too long.

"No," Elizabeth breathed, knowing instantly what was going on. Sateda was on their own.


	12. Chapter 12

"Where did they come from?" Ronon bellowed at Radek as he stormed past him and out into the courtyard of the palace. The only thing Ronon would ever be really thankful for was the underground bunkers under every major city on the planet, for without them, they would lose many thousands of people in the Wraith attacks. The problem was that they hadn't had to use the hide outs for almost twenty years. There was no food or water stored down there anymore and at the moment all he could do was hope that people remembered they were there and how to get down to them. He marched down to the gate and yanked it open in front of the guards.

"Open the bunkers," he told them. They exchanged looks, confused about the order and the need for one. "NOW!" he bellowed turning them from their post. One of them ran off into the city of Sateda directly outside the walls of the palace while the other vanished into the courtyard.

"Five minutes," Radek reminded him and Ronon took a deep breath before he shouted the words he'd hoped never have to say. Ever.

"Wraith incoming, get to the bunkers!"

He turned, not wanting to see the panic that ensued, but hearing it clearly as several women screamed and a loud murmur flooded the city. To his right, the first guard who'd opened the bunker shot off to the next one. There were four hatches to the underground location inside the palace walls, all of them near gates and each one of them needed to be manned to avoid people shoving and trampling each other. Another guard ran past him, heading for the first bunker as Ronon stepped back up the stairs to the palace.

Inside, Kate and the staff were running around in all directions, the delegates from the other continents were standing doing nothing to help the mayhem and for just a moment he found he hated each and every one of them. Cowards in the face of danger, but they'd happily slander his wife for being absent from the meetings. He stepped in, accepted the armour and weaponry being handed to him and just stared at them as he put them on. One of the delegates turned to look at him, seemingly a little shocked to find him standing there watching them, and Ronon instantly knew the councilors he had in other countries were just a bunch of pansies only willing to stick their noses in and not their hands.

"Kate," he barked. "Get them out of my sight before I shoot the lot of them." He didn't bother to hide his disgust at how pathetic they were, he could deal with them later. Kate instantly started to gather them up and push them towards the door. He turned to head back into the street. He joined the troops passing through the gates and followed a small group of them down one side of the town. They branched off, knocking on doors and shouting orders to head for the shelter. Ronon moved along with them, reminding people they couldn't take any belongings with them and had to confiscate a bag from man who argued with him.

Screams from outside the castle grounds caught their attention and Ronon looked up to see a swarm of darts heading down through the clouds; their time was up. Instantly people started to run for the nearest bunker entrance, shoving each other out the way. One man separated a child from her parents and knocked her to the ground in the process, no one stopped to help her so Ronon shoved his way through the throng of people and pulled the child to her feet.

The screech of the dart's transporter rushed past his ears and the crowed thinned dangerously on one side. Grabbing the girl by the scruff of her neck, he lifted her off the ground and dropped her over his shoulder. He turned, running for a bunker hole as another screech of the Wraith transporter passed nearby. He thrust her into the arms of the guard and told him to find someone to look after her until her parents could be found. As he turned back to head through the centre of the city he spotted a Wraith lurking between a few houses and sprinted off in its direction. He grabbed a couple of men on his way, alerting them and getting them to spread word that the Wraith were in the city.

He turned corner after corner, trying to spot any Wraith that were lingering around, following the bodies they left behind. He managed to shoot two before he started heading back to the palace and it looked as though most of the people where safely underground.

Silence fell as he turned back onto the main street and he paused, listening for the darts that should still be flying over head. The noise of a group of people taking their chance to get to the bunker made him turn back to watch them.

"Is it over?" one of the guys asked the group. Ronon looked up again. It was too easy to be over. It wasn't the Wraith's habit to just frighten people and then leave. He kept his eyes on the sky, looking for some sort of sign of what was going to happen next. Were they just emptying their ships of passengers or had they given up? He heard whispers from the nearby people. They'd spotted him and they knew exactly who he was.

"Run," he told them, turning his head to look at them. They stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. "Run, now," he made sure it was an order and that they moved before he started off down the street a few paces behind them. He could hear something whistling through the sky above him and picked up the pace; grabbing the person closest to the back he practically pulled them along, keeping them on their feet. He gave the person a shove forward as the whistle boomed through the clouds above and he caught sight of something orange glowing and shooting to the ground on the other side of the city.

He skidded to a halt, turning to see how many of the bombs were coming down and swore loudly as he found one of hundreds heading for him. He darted down one of the side streets, trying to make ground on the bomb and avoiding others that were streaking across the sky. He heard one hit the ground behind him, felt the shockwave that flourished out from it and echoed through his skull. A moment later one nearly knocked him off his feet and he felt something sharp piece his back before he hit the ground, smacking his head on something stone and blacked out.

~*~

Elizabeth felt sick, horribly and annoying sick. She'd been feeling a little off for a couple of days now, but in comparison the last two hours were her worst. The Wraith were in Sateda, probably had been for hours and so far they hadn't been able to pry a ZPM loose from Rodney's fingers, even with John threatening to kill him. She was worried about Ronon and Kate, more so for her husband, and she knew that the worry was probably making her feel really bad. John's staff had been eyeing her for a while now, obviously aware that she was panicking or perhaps they'd noticed the sudden wave of fatigue that had taken over.

She'd been standing on the small balcony overlooking the Stargate area below and waiting impatiently. Teyla had joined her over an hour ago and had since been distracted by the technician at the dialling computer. She hated this, waiting and doing nothing, watching her people mill around in the room below, only able to see the flicker of lights as people moved and the small amount of light from the setting sun behind them. Gripping tightly to the railing as a wave of nausea took over, Elizabeth watched a small person move quickly across the room towards the stairs. She couldn't avoid the small moan that escaped her throat and turned Teyla's attention to her.

"My lady?" Teyla said cautiously taking a step towards her. A measure of light flickered up in their direction and Elizabeth turned away from its brightness. But she didn't move quickly enough for Teyla to get a good look at her. "You're extremely pale," she said. "Are you ill?" Elizabeth shook her head, trying to avoid the woman's stare as someone else approached.

"My lady?" Janet's voice made her close her eyes and pray for the day to be over. "There's a rumour going around that the Wraith have attacked Sateda."

Elizabeth could tell Teyla was torn for a moment, unsure if she could mention that Elizabeth was white as a ghost or ask about the rumour. Keeping her eyes closed for just a moment more she steadied herself before straightened up and turned to Janet.

"A little over two hours ago," Elizabeth replied. "John was dialling Earth with the last of their power when the ships were spotted." She swayed a little and both Janet and Teyla reached for her. "I'm fine," she tried.

"You don't look it, Elizabeth," Janet said, turning and grabbing the nearest unoccupied chair. "You should, at the very least, sit down." She wasn't really given the option as Janet grabbed her by the arm and maneuvered her into the seat. What she wanted to was to go home to find Ronon, see if the Wraith had left them with a home to go to. The thought that everything was now gone made her shiver, which in turn made Janet place a hand on her forehead. "No fever. How long have you been ill?"

"Could it not just be from worry?" Teyla offered.

"It could," Janet said. "But it could also be that she's been married for two weeks and the worry this early wouldn't do her any good." Elizabeth's brow creased, it took her a moment for the hint to sink in and then her head swam with new information and extra worries. If she was pregnant now and Ronon was dead or captured by the Wraith then she'd be carrying the only heir to Sateda.

John's heavy footsteps on the stairs drowned out the groan she let out and he rounded the corner at the top of them and crossed over to the bridge between his office and the control room.

"Guys, take a step back from the gate. Power will be on in a few seconds and the gate will automatically dial Sateda." She heard the squeak of his shoes as he turned and stopped. "What's going on? You okay?" he asked her.

"Peachy," she said, with a touch too much sarcasm. The room lit up and just as John had said, the gate began to dial. Murmurs started down below and she could hear the person in charge ordering his people to check their weapons and supplies quickly.

Without thinking about it, Elizabeth got up and moved through the control room. She turned at the top of the main stairwell as the gate stabilised and the men began to head through. She caught sight of the captain of the Satedan army and Major Lorne heading through at the same time and the overwhelming urge to go with them pushed her feet forwards.

"Elizabeth," Teyla tried and Elizabeth could hear people moving behind her as she took the last of the steps and almost ran for the gate.

The arm that caught her around the middle was strong and he pulled her a few paces back just as the gate disconnected. She rounded on John, tears flooding her eyes and reached up to hit him. His hand was quick, grabbing her wrist before she could get it too close to him and he used it to trap her in his arms, wrapping his tightly around her.

"Why?" she sobbed against him, feeling an extra pair of hands rest on her back.

"Because the King would kill me if I let you go before making sure it was safe. We don't know if the Wraith are gone yet."

"I want to go home, John. I should be there helping, not sitting here waiting."

"You will be no good to them dead," Janet offered coolly, from her side. "Come on, let's go see if you have something to tell the King when you get back."

Elizabeth sobbed out a laugh and pulled away from John. She caught a glimpse of his confused face before she let Teyla and Janet lead her from the room and towards the infirmary. It didn't feel right to walk away from the room, away from her only way home or an update from the teams. But she wasn't given a choice in the matter.

~*~

Burning was the first smell that met Evan Lorne's nose when he stepped out of the Stargate into the arrival room of the Satedan Palace. It told him things had gone badly and chances were, they'd find fires littered around the building and city. He followed Milga to the door and passed through it into the main entry hall without problem. So far, everything seemed to be normal, aside from the smell. They turned to the main doors. Crossing the hall cautiously they pulled the large heavy doors open and Lorne stepped through with his gun raised.

The city was a complete mess, fires were still raging off in the distance and smoke floated up into the sky from all over the place. There were no people in sight though and for a moment, Lorne wondered if the Wraith were having a wonderful feast on the people who once lived here.

"The bunkers," Milga said, pointing off to the sides, his men moved quickly, one of them vanishing quickly back into the building as more took off in different directions around the palace. Lorne tracked the one heading for the main gate as the Captain turned to give orders and stopped dead. Lorne looked at him, then followed his gaze to the side of the building, something had hit the palace and ripped a large chunk of it out of the side. He should have expected it, but somehow, he thought this building would be the one still in perfect condition.

A shout from the side of the building made Lorne and his men move quickly and they rounded the corner to find the side of the building had fallen down completely. The Satedan guard indicated the hatch he was trying to reach, now blocked off by rubble. Several of the men around him moved off to help him and Lorne and Milga turned back as people started to filter out of the hatch by the main gate. They moved closer, passing through the crowd easily and Lorne knew exactly who the other man was looking for.

"Lady Heightmeyer," Lorne said, spotting her to the side, staring up at the palace. "Where's King Dex?"

"He never made it back to this bunker," she said. "He's probably in one of the city's." She turned to the gate and Lorne stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Maybe we better look, just in case there are still Wraith around."

She nodded stoically and he turned with the rest of the men and headed for the main palace gate. The city of Sateda, the heart of the planet, was in much worse shape than the palace grounds. He had to step over rubble to pass through the gate and the streets were littered with bodies and displaced belongings. A little way up the main street, Lorne could see bags that had been ditched, dropped by their owner in a mad dash to the nearest hide out. He stopped in the middle, listening as men approached the bunkers on either side of him and pulled open the hatches.

"Where is the king?" he asked of the person nearest the door and the replies were almost identical. He wasn't in their bunker. Lorne didn't even need to suggest it. Milga instantly gathered up as many guards as he could, sparing some to tend to the people and keep them near the palace, the rest were to spread out and look for the king and release the latches on other bunkers.

Lorne started off up the main street, his eyes taking in the damage of the buildings. It seemed as though the Wraith had little to no intention of leaving something for the survivors to live in. He turned back to look at the palace. Only half a palace from this distance and there was smoke issuing from one of the towers in the centre. He turned, spotting a group of people climbing out of a building down one side, instinct took him in their direction, arriving in time to help a teen aged boy out from the collapsed side of the house.

"Don't suppose any of you saw the King?"

"We did," the man said, pulling his son closer. "He saved us, but we didn't have time to get all the way to the bunkers. I pulled my family into this house before the bombs hit."

"Do you know where he went?" The man eyed him for a moment and he became very aware that he stood out as an off-worlder.

"He went that way when the bombs came," the boy said, pointing in the opposite direction.

Lorne nodded his thanks. "You'll be safer near the palace," he said. He watched the family for a moment before he turned and jogged in the direction the boy had indicated. He stopped at every turn and looked around, trying to figure out which way the king would've headed if being chased by a Wraith bomb. It only took a few streets from the main road before he spotted someone lying on the floor against the wall of a building.

He took a few steps closer, spotting the man's hand move up to his arm. Lorne couldn't see his face, blocked from view by a curtain hanging out the window above him. He stepped closer, passing the curtain and instantly reached for his radio as he dropped to his knees.

"I found the king," he said simply, he wouldn't have a clue how to tell them where he was, for all he knew there were no street names here and if there were, they wouldn't be distinguishable from anything else.

"There's something in the back of my shoulder," the king said as Lorne pulled his med kit from a pocket in his vest. "Can't quite reach it."

 _"Major, how far from the palace did you make it?"_

Lorne reached up as the king leaned forward. "About half a dozen streets and turn left," he supplied before reaching down to push a flap of clothing out the way. "That looks deep, sir." He said, automatically using the salutation.

"Get it out," Ronon growled.

"Sorry, no can do. If that's in deep it'll bleed too much without proper medical attention."

"Great," Ronon said, rolling back against the building. "My doctor's in your city."

Lorne reached for his radio again. "Anyone still in or near the palace wanna radio for medical attention?"

 _"I'm still here, dialling now."_ Stackhouse replied.

"Can you walk?" Lorne asked.

"I can stumble," the king admitted and Lorne had to smile. He helped the man to his feet, realising for the first time just how strong and tall the king of Sateda was. He made him feel ridiculously under strength for his military standing. They moved slowly, making Evan very aware that there was more than just a shoulder injury to worry about. They met up with several others as they reached the main road, which was great as the king stumbled and hit the ground hard on his injured side.

It took longer after that, stopping every so often to climb carefully over something that stood in their way. By the time they reached the palace gates, the medical team from Atlantis, including a large portion of those who had come from Sateda where helping with the others. Lorne caught sight of the doctor before she'd even turned to them and she quickly made a space for him to drop down onto.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Ronon asked the second he was flat on his front.

"Still in Atlantis," Janet said, checking out the wound on his shoulder and cutting away material. "Sheppard wouldn't let her leave until there was a report that there were no more Wraith."

"She okay?" he asked, growling at her as she poked against the object sticking from his arm.

"Worried," Janet said. She gathered her things as Lorne started to collect information from the others. He was just decided that there were no Wraith when he heard the scream of pain Ronon let out. He turned around as he thumped the gurney he was laying on; Janet had pulled the object out sharply and apparently without warning.

"If it's alright with you, I'll let Atlantis know there's no more Wraith here, see if they can report the ship's location."

"Don't return without my wife," Ronon said, slightly mumbled as he bit into the pillow. "Always thought you had a tender touch." He heard Ronon complain as he moved off towards the palace doors.


	13. Chapter 13

When Ronon woke the next morning, he had been moved into a bigger bed. He could hear movement and noise outside the room and the crackle of a fire nearby. He moved, trying to turn onto his side and not only his shoulder aching but his head gave an unhappy throb of protest.

"Hey," the soft voice was tight and groggy from sleep, but the slender hand was firm in pushing him back onto the bed. "You need to rest," Elizabeth told him.

"Have you been here all night?" he asked dropping back down with a moan.

"Yes, I came back after they reported no wraith. The ships have left the system. John thinks they were making a point to Bates."

"I'll kill him."

"No, you won't," she told him. It made him feel defiant, that she wouldn't be able to tell him no. "He's already dead. The Wraith got in to his cell and fed on him."

"That's rare." He reached up to rub at his face. "Most Satedans are impervious to the Wraith; they tend to try and convert their capture or experiment on them."

"That sounds worse than being fed on."

He wouldn't really know. He'd been on the receiving end of a stunner and hand to hand fight but nothing else and he knew Elizabeth had experienced none of that.

"I hear Sheppard wouldn't let you leave."

She huffed an annoyed laugh. "First it was because they weren't sure if the attack was over or not. Then thanks to Janet, he wouldn't let me go in case there were Wraith here to feed on me."

"What did Janet say to him?"

She faltered, bit on her lip and looked around the room. He could tell there was something there that he didn't know about yet and his defiant streak rushed across his brain.

"Eli..." His throat had gone dry in the few seconds of silence. "What did Janet tell him?"

"Don't make me tell you this when you can't move." He gave her a solid stare. "Please."

"Come here," he said reaching out and pulling her closer to him. She caved easily, settling in against his side with a hand on his chest. "Tell me," he coaxed and she groaned low in her throat before dropping her head on his chest.

"She told him you'd have a year's worth of torture for him if you found out a Wraith had fed on your unborn child."

He felt the muscle in his shoulder twitch as his brain quickly settled on what she'd said. They'd only been married two weeks had barely had sex a dozen times, though not through lack of trying on his part, and already she was carrying the next King or Queen of Sateda.

He reached over, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her up for a blinding kiss. He couldn't believe it; in fact he probably wouldn't until he could physically see it for himself. Yet he still felt the rise of excitement that shot up his body and exploded in his brain. He was going to be a father.

~*~

John shot through the corridor and round the corner at the end. The noise of the city was a contrast to the last time he'd run this route and the added people made the trip all that more difficult to navigate. He skidded to a halt outside the transporter and thumped the control panel, impatiently waiting for the doors to open; he ducked inside before they'd had a chance to complete the movement and tapped the control tower point. He was out the other side and up the stairs to the control room in record time – had anyone been timing him.

"What now?" he asked, taking a deep breath to replenish his lungs. He had been asleep when the klaxons had started and the intercom switched on to request abruptly that he get up.

"The Gate's dialled in about three times, but there's no IDC or radio transmission, we've had the shield up every time, nothing's every trying to come through." John studied Chuck for a moment. The man should have been on down time by now. He let it pass; he'd talk to him later about actually resting

"No clues at all?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Have we heard from Sateda in the last couple of hours?"

"Yes, sir, they called just before the gate started silent dialling. Everything's still quiet on their front and the King is finally awake."

John was about to ask another question when one of the tech's behind him announced an incoming radio signal. He didn't have to tell him to put it on speakers. His staff were bright enough to know he wanted to hear it.

 _"Sheppard... from... Prome... planet... evac... no... DC... respond."_ The message was broken, patches of static slipping in as if they'd had to cobble a transmitter together to send the message. Chances are they would only get to send it once.

"Can we send a message back?" John asked and the tech shook his head as he tapped away at the keyboard.

"Just a second, sir."

He turned back to look down at the gate, they had said his name and probably stated who they were in the mixed up transmission. 'Prome' could have been _Prometheus_ and if that was the case, then they probably had a new set of evacuees from Earth with them.

 _"Repeat... Neill... Us... land... Earth... IDC, please... shield."_

"Lower the shield," John ordered then turned back to the tech. "I need to send a reply."

"Try it..." he paused for a second to type a few more things. "Now."

"This is Sheppard, the shield has been lowered, I repeat the shield has been lowered." He didn't stop to see if there was a reply, he took off down the stairs and took a gun from one of the waiting marines. "Let's be ready just in case. If these are our people then no harm done," he told the guards, then quietly added, "Better safe than sorry." John waited, hoping his message had gotten through. He swallowed hard just as someone stepped through the gate.

"I'm unarmed," Jack O'Neill said, his hands in the air to prove it. "Major General Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. I'd give you my serial, but I only remember the first three digits these days."

"I think we'll survive without it," John said sarcastically.

"Excellent," Jack said moving forward and lowering his arms. "So," he said stopping in front of John as he gave back the gun. "How's things?"

"Peachy," John replied in much the same tone. "You?"

"Oh lovely, you know, limped over the galaxy divide line to the nearest planet with a gate, transported everything we could down," he turned as people started to step through the gate. "Five hundred people crammed into the space designed for no more than two hundred. Plus the fifty crew that we had to start with. Complaining about thin air and minimal food."

"We have the same food complaints on a grander scale," John said. "And we're in even worse shape now Sateda has reduced their aid."

"What? Why?"

"Seems the Wraith Queen their guy was giving information to didn't need his services anymore. She sent three ships to do as much damage as possible."

"Crap." It seemed to be all he could manage for a moment and his eyes settled on the thinning crowd. "How bad?"

"Palace has half the outer walls knocked down. They lost about half their servers and a large portion of the city's inhabitants and almost all the homes and other buildings." He stopped to give the General a chance to take that in. "Other than that, nothing major that I know about. Lorne and his team are there helping and we still have a handful of medical and military here."

"And Elizabeth?"

"She was here when it happened. I wouldn't let her go back until I knew it was safe."

"Bet she loved you for that," Jack said coyly.

"Yeah, well I had someone on my side, especially when her doctor told me she was pregnant." Jack's brow went up and John could see the 'already?' on his expression. "I know, shocked me too. Now I'm just wondering if the kid will have the Gene she missed out on."

"Would be interesting to find out. Maybe you could get her to do the test when it's born."

John nodded. "General," he said a moment later and paused to lick his lips. "What about the other four ships?"

"The _Odyssey_ was destroyed escaping the Wraith. _Daedalus_ , _Apollo_ and _Korolev_ are on route. They were in better condition than us, kept speed to protect us, waited in orbit for us to leave. They should be dialling in soon to send their passengers along before they head here."

"Any idea how many?"

"We aimed for five hundred each, more if we could make space. The _Korolev_ had no stock or cargo on board so they probably got more. We were picking up at random from other countries though, as every able-bodied person in America was heading for the Stargate."

"Good idea. Not healthy to just save our own country and leave everyone else to the Wraith."

"What's the population count at the moment?" Jack asked. John didn't want to say it; considering how many people had been abandoned on Earth, it was a stupidly small number. When they'd dealt with the Wraith, they could go back for survivors, but for now, this was their whole population.

"Four thousand, seven hundred and ninety."

"Wow," Jack said. "If we assume five hundred on the other three ships, that gives a horribly low total of..."

"Six thousand, two hundred and ninety," John finished for him.

"Good thing we didn't bring any condoms then." John gave a snort of laughter before he turned and headed up the stairs.

~*~

It was over a month later that Elizabeth found herself once again sitting in front of a mirror, wondering if she was ready for the event that was about to happen. Ronon had insisted it be now, before the baby started to show, as only a handful of people knew she was pregnant. It didn't feel right to put her coronation ahead of so many things. In the Wraith attack they had lost hundreds of thousands of people all over the planet, three whole continents had been destroyed completely and the City of Sateda was still in ruins. They made sure everyone had a bed to sleep in and a roof over their head. People were helping out in fields to re-grow damaged or destroyed crops and the go between from Atlantis and themselves had been on a needed item basis.

She turned and looked up at her dress, this time a lovely simple design in a shiny red material with a sash to hook over her arms and over her shoulders, should she get cold. There was no train to this dress, as there had been to her wedding gown, but the material for her arms was long and she had no doubt it would trail along behind her.

Elizabeth turned back to the mirror with a deep sigh and started to run back over what she had to do. It was relatively simple, walk down the aisle, answer the questions the priest would ask her while repeating the information as a promise, accept the crown and take a seat. Everything else was up to the guards and continental hierarchy. The problem was there were so many tiny pieces of information to remember: how to walk, how to sit, how to answer the questions and worst of all, how to bow to each of the people who swore their allegiance to her.

The problem with the next half hour was that only Teyla could be with her. Kate, along with all the others in any hierarchy, was taking her place in the hall, ready to swear herself to Elizabeth, which meant she had no one to advise her, no one to remind her of anything she'd forgotten. No one she could ask questions.

The door opened again and Teyla stepped through. "My apologies, the king tried to end the meeting swiftly so that I could return, but one of the prime ministers was being difficult."

"Is he going to object?" she asked. One objection to her crowning could delay the whole thing.

"I do not believe so. He was being very cautious about such a young queen. To which the King pointed out he was only four years your elder." Elizabeth sighed as Teyla crossed to the dress and unhooked the sash. "You are not sure you disagree with him?"

"Keep your confidence; show no one that you have a fear of the task ahead."

"I do not remember Kate teaching you that," Teyla pointed out tentatively.

"It was Carson." She turned to Teyla. "If I were to ask you something, you would be honest with me, as a friend and not as my server?"

"Of course."

"Do you think I could be an honest and fair queen? Do you believe that should something, heaven forbid, happen to Ronon, that I could take his place?"

Teyla studied her for just a second before she moved and knelt down in front of her. For a moment, as Teyla dropped her head, Elizabeth was afraid she'd tell her no, that she didn't believe she could do a single thing right in a throne for Sateda. She was after all the lowly concubine of another planet. Then her server's head came up with a smile on her face.

"I believe in you," she said. "I believe you have the ability to grow. You know now, and will always know when to say you are not sure of something. You can ask for help, Elizabeth, and I believe that makes you a much better person than anyone who has come to seek favour with the king. I considered this morning, laying in my bed, how lucky I was to be accepted as a server here, then to be given such highly regarded tasks that were in the king's or guest chambers. Then I remembered the last few months as your," she paused, turning her smile into a grin. "Lady in waiting." Elizabeth chuckled. "I am honoured to serve you and I will always be here to help you. Whether it is to fetch things, or stand quietly in the corner and listen so you can have a second opinion on the event or conversation."

Elizabeth nodded slightly and turned back to look at herself once more. She straightened her back again, having leaned forward slightly, and smiled. From now on, she would be Queen Elizabeth of Sateda. No longer Atlantean or from Earth. No longer a concubine.

"Never again," she whispered then turned to face Teyla again. "I don't ever want to hear, speak or even think the word concubine."

"Then," Teyla started, getting up from her knees in front of Elizabeth and moving the draw of the writing desk. "Let's get rid of the word completely." She pulled out a piece of paper, picked up the pen and wrote 'concubine' in large letters across the middle. She moved back to Elizabeth and took her hand, pulling her from the chair and over to the soft fire burning on the wall near to Ronon's room. She placed the paper in Elizabeth's hand and motioned to the fire. Getting the idea, Elizabeth smiled and turned to face the fire completely.

"I was never born to be it," she said. "I was never meant to be taught it and I will never be it again." She dropped the paper into the fire and watched it sizzle and crinkle under the heat. When she turned back to Teyla, she felt like a new person, a woman at last, a free woman with a wonderful husband and a planet of people looking to them for guidance. "We're running out of time." Teyla grinned, bowed and moved over to her dress.


	14. Chapter 14

Ronon explored the hall from the slightly different angle. The last time he'd sat here, in this chair watching the faces of hundreds of expectant people had been the day he'd been sworn in as King. He'd sat in the centre of the stage then. Now he was slightly to the right, making room for the chair on his left, Elizabeth's throne. It wasn't as tall, or even as highly decorated as his, but to him, it was the most glorious object he'd ever seen.

The Priest, Teal'c, stood in the middle, a few paces ahead of the chairs with his book in one hand and the same long black cloak he'd worn to crown him King. He stood just as stiffly with a brow raised and his eyes ever vigilant of the crowd. Off to the right, Ronon's cousin Cameron Mitchell stood with a small boy in front of him. The eight year old shifted his feet nervously as the crown slipped forwards on the pillow. Mitchell made a quick grab for it, straightening the cushion without touching the jewel. At his side Kate was chewing on her lip and he could see the cogs turning in her brain, trying to work out if she'd taught Elizabeth everything she needed to know. He was sure she had.

The doors opened, the curtains blocking them, pulled back by two girls from the city outside. He remembered these two identical girls very bravely walking into the middle of the interview room, stopping shoulder to shoulder and giving a very quick and timid curtsey before stating their names. He'd looked up at their mother for a moment. She had been frightened, nervously twiddling the edges of her shawl. The twin girls had wanted to come, she had almost told them no.

It had always been a tradition to have someone from the nearest city or two attend the services. For Elizabeth, it was more sentimental. She had been one of them, lower than them if he was honest and to take her place a few steps ahead of the girls as she was about to do would show her climb from rags, to accepted lady, to Lady and in to her womanhood before taking her place as their Queen.

Ronon looked up as the crowd turned to the door and Elizabeth appeared. He barely registered the door to the side of the hall opening and Teyla slipping into the room as he watched Elizabeth pass the two girls and walk slowly towards him. As she approached the first row of people, the entire crowd bowed down to one knee, everyone that was, except himself and the priest. The twins collected their items to give to her and took up their pace following their new queen down the centre of the crowd.

Ronon watched her, taking in her calm and serene expression, which he had a feeling wasn't what was going on in her mind. As expected, when she stopped, she kept her eyes fixed on the Priest who gave his initial bow and waited as the first girl moved around and placed a cushion on the floor on the bottom step. Ronon's brow rose, he remembered it, significant in its own right as the one Elizabeth had knelt on when she'd first arrived on Sateda. He turned to look at Kate, down on one knee with her eyes fixed on Elizabeth. He caught the twitch of a smile on her lips before he turned his attention back to the priest.

"Our duty as Priests," he said glancing briefly to the group of similarly dressed men to his left. "Is to assure our lands are ruled by the most honest and fair King or Queen. Our King Ronon, has served us well for the last four years, now, he has brought this woman before us to request she become our Queen."

Teal'c took a step forward, placing himself on the edge of the step and Ronon shifted nervously to one side.

"Before I ask Lady Elizabeth Weir to take her vows, I must ask of any objections from the witnesses in this room."

The deafening silence was frightening and settling at the same time. There had to be a whole minute of it before he would continue and if in that minute someone changed their minds, the proceedings would be brought to an abrupt halt. A child sneezed towards the back of the room and Ronon watched the slightly disturbing smile spread across the usually stoic face.

"Lady Elizabeth Weir of Atlantis, you have sworn allegiance to the King of Sateda in marriage, is that correct?"

"I have sworn my allegiance," Elizabeth said clearly.

"Do you swear to the people of Sateda that you will govern under their laws, as laid out by the heritage of King Ronon?"

"I swear to govern by our laws."

"Do you swear to do all that is within your power to protect the people of the lands of this planet?"

"I swear to protect the people of Sateda."

"Do you swear to rule with a kind heart and the justice that is required?"

"I swear to be just and true."

As she spoke, the small boy on his right was nudged to his feet and he walked on shaky feet to stand beside the Priest. Teal'c turned, accepted the crown and raised it high above her head as he turned back. He looked down at Elizabeth, her head calmly bowed.

"By the power of the ancestral spirits, I crown you Queen of Sateda." He lowered it, resting it carefully on her head. He bowed and straightened slowly. "Rise, Queen Elizabeth." He reached out a hand for her, helping her to her feet. Keeping her hand, he turned and led her to the chair. She stopped in front of it and turned gracefully and took her seat carefully on the thrown. "Our trust and loyalty to the King and Queen," Teal'c finished and the word echoed loudly through the hall as the second of the girls moved forward, curtseyed and offered a beautiful bunch of flowers to her queen. They grabbed the cushion and were guided to the priest's side of the room by Teal'c.

The crowd rose as Kate did, and Ronon watched her move across to drop to one knee on the step in front of them. "I, Katherine Heightmeyer, swear to serve with trust and loyalty to King Ronon and Queen Elizabeth of Sateda." She put a touch of emphasis on the 'queen' in her speech before bowing her head. She rose and Cameron took her place. He repeated the oath before rising. As the last of the nobles of the heirarchy had sworn their vows, Ronon let out a sigh of relief. It was over. He had his queen and he was absolutely sure she would do his people justice.

He exchanged a look with her and they rose at the same time. He took her hand in his before turning his over and letting hers rest upon his. They moved forward together, standing at the edge of the step for every set of eyes in the room to see. He waited, giving them all a chance to bow their heads in respect before he bowed to them and at his side Elizabeth curtseyed.

The crowd filed out through the main doors and Ronon turned, Elizabeth with him, and led her to the side door that Teyla had entered through. Stepping out, they were greeted with a group of people who had not been permitted to sit in the actual crowning. Ten people from Atlantis bowed to them and another server approached from the side. She gave a curtsey before offering the slender and elegant tiara to them. Ronon turned, taking the crown from Elizabeth as she accepted the smaller and much more comfortable jewel.

"Congratulations," General O'Neill offered with a genuine smile. "You now outrank everyone who used to outrank you. Except the King." Elizabeth gave a small laugh that showed him she'd finally relaxed. "We thought, as you were born to our people that it was only fitting that we swear our allegiance to you as well, but we'll save you a little bit of embarrassment and time."

As he finished the whole group dropped down to one knee in front of them. Ronon quirked a brow and realised this was meant only for Elizabeth and he moved off to one side. The door behind Elizabeth opened and Kate and Teyla stepped out and quickly moved to join him.

Jack cleared his throat. "Our trust and friendship to the Queen of Sateda." The group chorused and Ronon looked around at the people in the small crowd. Along with Jack O'Neill and John Sheppard stood the rest of the council of Atlantis, including Carson Beckett and to one side, the opposite to where he stood, were both of Elizabeth's parents.

He couldn't help but smile as they got up and her parents moved quickly towards her to pull her into a hug. John waited until they had pulled back before he slipped in and held her for a slightly longer amount of time. He'd been closest to Elizabeth and the only times he had to actually hug her had been the day of her wedding, though it would have been with a much bigger audience, and now.

John stepped back and held up a small box for her. She quirked a brow before taking it and flicked it open. Her brow instantly creased. Along side a daisy, there was a small device. It looked from his distance as though it had a strap to attach to a wrist, but the flower obscured his view.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A GDO," he said. "Stands for Garage door opener, but in our case, it lowers the shield to the gate instantly."

"The code you put in and instructions are under the device," Rodney offered. "Should be easy to understand, I did write them myself," he added pompously and Ronon almost laughed at the disgusted look John gave him.

"You can use it any time you want to come and visit. It's personal to you so we'll know who you are before you've even set foot in Atlantis."

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you."

"Of course, Ronon can come too if he wants," John added with a silly grin that made Elizabeth laugh more.

He didn't want to do it, but the day was quickly coming to an end. For the life of him, he'd never understand why all the rituals of Sateda had to be done late in the day. He stepped forward with an apologetic smile.

"If you'll excuse us, we have a lot to discuss," he said. "You're welcome to stay the night, if you'd wish. Teyla can arrange rooms for you." Teyla stepped forward, ready to help and Ronon took Elizabeth's hand and led her from the room. They moved in silence through the halls back to his room, revelling in the way everyone they passed bowed to them. It would only last for the next few hours before everything in the palace returned to normal, but he still felt good to know each of them was willing to show their trust in Elizabeth.

Back in the confines of his room, now rebuilt after the attack, Ronon moved her into the bedroom and placed her hand on the footer of the bed, over their ribbons that they had tied over the bar at the end the morning after their wedding. He moved in close behind her, pressing himself to her before he reached up and unlaced the top strings at the back of her dress. She chuckled, knowing instantly what he was thinking of.

"Is it the dress?"

"No," he said, leaning in to kiss at her bare neck. "I just decided a moment ago that I made love to you within an hour of making you my wife, now I can do it again as my queen." He pulled the edges of her dress apart, feeling it slip down her body slightly. "Do you have any objection, Queen Elizabeth?"

"No," she said softly. "I expected as much," she said and he pulled back a little as she turned her head. She reached around, twisting her body to push him a step back and eased the dress down her body. No corset, which should have been tradition, but was absent while she was pregnant and he found himself looking at her with the sexiest set of undergarments he'd ever seen.

"Where did you get red lace?" he asked, his eyes fixed on her ample breasts.

"Kate's sister sent it from Abeltin."

"I've long suspected that Kate tells her too much about me," he said reaching for her waist carefully. "She seems to know the best way to tease me."

"I should be offended by that," Elizabeth said and he hummed in response as he leaned in and placed a kiss on the curve of her left breast. "I don't yet know the best way to tease you."

"You just have to step into the room." He lifted her off the floor, revelling in the shriek of laughter she let out.

He moved around to the side of the bed and dropped her playfully on the top. She let out another burst of laughter as he undid his belt and shoved his pants down before she rolled onto her front and tried to moved to the other side of the bed. Ronon grabbed her by the ankles, pulling her back onto her stomach and quickly climbed up onto the bed. He discarded his top as she tried to wriggle free of him, causing him to press his erection down against her as she moved.

Ronon groaned at the sensation and dropped his hands to her waist to stop her from moving. He leaned over, running his hands up her arms, already outstretched in front of her from trying to escape, he placed a careful kiss on her shoulder before pulling back and sliding the clip apart at the back of her bra. He leaned in again, placing another kiss where the red material had been and started to shift backwards. So far, whenever they'd made love, he'd always brought her to orgasm before entering her, he hadn't been able to find her pleasure while buried deep inside her, though he was sure he wasn't hurting her anymore. He longed to feel her let go on him and he was making that his goal every time he removed her clothes, from today onwards.

He moved off the bed, standing at the side for a moment as his eyes slithered up her legs making him feel like a pervert who had talked some beauty into marrying him so she would look wonderful at his side. She was bared to him up to her backside, where the thin and almost see-through red lace wrapped across her buttocks. He reached out, teasing the joints behind her knees and delighting in the way she shifted her hips. He ran his hands up her thighs and slowly eased her panties over her hips and down her legs before returning to the joints.

He felt a shudder run down her back that he had anticipated and applied just a little bit of pressure on the skin just above the knee joint. She was an extremely sensual woman, he had learned that over the last month, but at the same time, she had a playful and demanding side.

Ronon had learned a lot about her. He could gauge the mood she was in simply by her body language and at the moment – as she shifted under his fingers – she was in a slowly-make-love-to-me mood. He loved it, the tease, the build up, the passion in her eyes as she peaked under his touch and the sensation she always managed to bring over him was intense and always made him feel as if there was nothing left in the world but them and whatever they were making love on.

He spotted an oil bottle sitting on the stand beside the bed and reached out to snatch it up. It had been there for days and he knew she used it after a bath to soften her skin. He also knew it smelled of apple, a scent he was quickly associating with her. He dabbed a few drops onto his hand and ran the palm up the inside of her leg to cup her sex. Skin never left skin and Ronon twitched in his boxers.

His fingers slipped easily along her sex showing him just how much she'd been thinking of him in the last few minutes he spared a moment to dip his finger inside her. Ronon leaned over her and placed the bottle back on the cabinet before lying down over the top of her again, his body flush against hers, but his elbows holding off the bulk of his weight. He shifted forward just slightly and Elizabeth groaned low in her throat as his hardened length brushed against her sex. He placed kisses on her back, drawing a line down her as he slipped down her body. She shifted again and he smirked at the idea that she thought she knew him.

This is where he could spend the rest of his life, lying on the bed between her now widely parted legs. Ronon slipped his hands under her, pushing against her stomach carefully until she lifted up just slightly from the bed. He didn't move his hands back. The feel of her breathing in his palms was glorious and not for the first time he wondered about the child growing inside her, before he leaned in and suck a portion of Elizabeth's thigh into his mouth.

The moan she let out was half way between pleasure and frustration and Ronon smirked against her leg. He repeated the motion, this time further away from her sex and she practically growled at him. He shifted his own hips and took a deep breath with the friction that simple move caused, but instead of easing the feeling he took a breath of the most wonderful smell in the universe. Elizabeth Dex.

His next move was another mouthful of her flesh, this time so close to her sex he could taste her nectar and followed it instantly with a swipe of his tongue up the crease between thigh and sex. Elizabeth shuddered and her hips pushed back towards him. His hands shifted on her stomach and he flexed his fingers to massage the tight skin and tense muscles there.

He felt her stomach fluttering and seconds later she took a sharp breath of air as he engulfed her sex. Ronon had to move one of his hands from her stomach to her back to stop the sudden surge of movement he caused by dipping his tongue into her tunnel. He wouldn't last long with the noises she was making. She was always tight, wet and very hot and as much as he loved the taste of her it drove him crazy and this time was no different. He pushed forward against her, brushed his thumb accidentally against her clit and Elizabeth tightened her muscles around his tongue.

She arched off the bed, her now bare ass in the air and in a flash of desperation Ronon was on his knees between her legs and his length slipped easily and wonderfully into her core. She tightened again and it felt momentarily as though she was coming until she pushed back against him and swore loudly before she actually did. Ronon's hands flew to her hips and he gripped her tightly as she pushed back again pulling him deep within her. He could feel every muscle inside her flex and knew she was holding her breath to prolong the feeling.

When she finally took a breath, so did he. Several, in fact, and he struggled for a few moments attempting not to come on the spot. Elizabeth flopped forward flattening herself once more on the bed and he followed. Lying once more over her body. His elbows holding him up, Ronon shifted until he could dip just the head of his length inside her.

He placed kisses along her neck as she settled down and he whispered the whole time to her, telling her simply how beautiful she was and how her body always reacted just the way he liked it. The fluttering and shifting of hips never stopped and eventually she gave a sharp push of her hips and Ronon sank further in, but as soon as she relaxed her hips she dropped away leaving him with just a vague feeling of her warmth.

"Ronon," she pleaded as he kissed along her shoulder. She pushed back up, taking him in before relaxing again.

Giving in, Ronon slowly pushed forward; slipping in as far as he could possibly go. She tightened around him and he bit his lip as he pulled back and once more slowly eased himself in.

"Ronon," she breathed again almost warningly and he knew her mood had shifted, but he kept the pace slow. In their time together he'd never thought her selfish, she had moments when she was demanding, but if she took an orgasm from him and pushed him away, she always made it up to him and in a way he wouldn't soon forget.

He had to give a quick thanks to some of her concubine training in those situations.

He was still moving slowly, his eyes fixed on the bare skin of her back, watching it ripple as she moved with him. She was beautiful: soft skin, dark captivating green eyes, legs that went on for miles and if Ronon got her ass in his hands it took a lot to make him let go. No matter how often they had sex, it never got boring and she was always tight around him feeling wonderful and the friction of each thrust he made sent sparks up his spine and through his legs. It took a lot to learn that going slow with her brought on strong orgasms because the friction made him want to move fast inside her.

He sped up and her pace under him increased with him, but he could tell she was getting impatient, desperate even and he wondered how long he could go before she tried to take control. He ducked down, placing more kisses along her back and shoulder and as he brushed his tongue over a very sensitive spot she made her move and he did nothing to stop her.

Elizabeth's arm flew up and she pushed at him, her fingers tight over his hips. He gave a hard shove against her backside before relenting to the hint to get off. She was up quick, on her knees and pushing him flat on his back at her side. His length gave an expectant twitch as she straddled him. This was his favourite position, even though they'd only done it once before. She sank down onto his length and he twitched again and Elizabeth's hips shifted back as she leaned forward on his chest. Her eyes were closed for a moment before she opened them to glare down at him and then sat back.

Ronon ran his hands up her thighs, slipping them around her hips and before he could finish the task she was rocking on him. Her hips swayed almost hypnotically, his eyes fixed on her stomach. They had only been together a few months and he loved every moment of it and couldn't work out why no man on Atlantis had ever fallen in love with her. He had, almost instantly. His eyes fixed on her still flat belly for a moment before she lifted up and started to ride him with gusto.

She leaned forward on him, changing the angle and he felt her tighten on him. She was close, tittering on the edge of what promised to be an exquisite release of sexual pleasure and not just for her. It occurred to him, perhaps a little belatedly, that there was a reason he loved this position, it kept his hands free. He moved them, running them over her stomach to feel the muscles there and up to her breasts. He played for a moment with each nipple, pinching at them and rolling them between his digits before he ran his hands down her arms and back up to her shoulders.

He flattened his hands over them and ran them down the length of her body pausing to cup her breasts and flick at her nipples and then again pausing to linger on her stomach. He caught the look in Elizabeth's eyes at this pause and without warning she picked up the pace again riding him harder and faster.

"God, Ronon," she breathed and he could pick out the tone of voice that said she was close. She moaned loudly and so close to the edge of her orgasm he could feel her muscles start to tremble around him and twitched in anticipation of what was coming.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he said and her eyes closed as he dipped his finger against her clit. She cried out her orgasm, but not before she ground down against him, literally pinning him to the bed with the force of her release. Her internal muscles tightened on him and if that part of his body were able to breathe it would have suffocated in seconds at the pressure. She began to rock and Ronon squeezed his eyes closed at the added sensation. It must have taken all her control to lean forward, her breasts pinned to his chest so she could lean close to his ear and whisper to him.

"I love you," she said, the emotion and shudder of her voice giving away the control she was exhorting. She whimpered and her upper body went limp over him, her sex still tightly fluttering on him.

He would have let go from that alone, but Elizabeth's hips began to rock again and her muscles relaxed just enough. Ronon moved quickly, pushing her up to sit on him again and he flattened his hand over her belly, his other dipping into the skin on her thigh as he cried out his own release with the edges of his vision blurring.

As he relaxed, he reached up, coaxing her down to lay with him and sighed as he drifted off to sleep. He had the most wonderful wife and a glorious queen for his people.


	15. Chapter 15

The lower levels of the city were the last place Rodney McKay wanted to be, but for the time being he had a reason to remain and no reason to go. Though everything was setup, in place and easily tracked, he still had a whole list of things to do and check on before he could leave. He pulled back as a marine passed with a crate in hand and turned to walk the route to the storage room. It was the largest storage area in the whole city and only because it held the largest quantity of a single item that shouldn't just be shoved into any old cupboard you could find a space in. Not if you valued your life.

"How are we doing in here?" he asked the first person he came across and then did a double take at the girl.

"We're up to thirteen thousand, two hundred and nine," she replied and he narrowed his eyes at her, wondering if she could actually count that high. She was only ten, if that.

"What are you doing down here?"

"I volunteered, but they won't let me any closer to the... drones," she offered with a slightly sad smile. "So I'm the counter."

 _"Section 6 has two hundred fourteen."_ A disconnected voice said and Rodney watched as she added the number to the computer on her lap.

"Thirteen thousand, four hundred and twenty three."

Rodney huffed an unimpressed sound and turned out of the room. The main entrance to the storage room had a security area, monitors lined the walls for all the levels and sections of the room, the storage space was massive and he didn't envy the ten people currently counting drones down there with no windows. He turned back, checking on the girl again before he left the room.

~*~

The largest hall in the city had only ever been used once before, that John could remember, and even then it had been an emergency, an extra place to put refugees so they didn't get lost and the medical staff could see to them. Now though, it was going to be the hub of the city, the place where all announcements would be made, where people could go to find work or talk to one of the hierarchy. John had been worried that he wouldn't be at the top of that ladder when Jack O'Neill arrived. He was clearly out ranked by the man. Thankfully, Jack had told him he had no intention of running a city full of evacuees. In a few days, when the other ships arrived, he'd take a team back to try and to salvage the _Prometheus_. Their agreement was that Jack would be in charge of the fleet, as fleeting as it was.

Today, the hall's purpose was to tell people the changes in rules that John was implementing. Jack had taken a moment to look through them, and during the time it had taken him to read them three times, John had fiddled with every object in reach. He was making some really big changes and they had no idea how those would go down.

He stepped in and looked around at the gathered crowed. Information about some changes had already leaked out to the public and John took in the worried look of a pregnant woman in the front row. She had nothing to worry about at all. He was about to give her the most peace of mind any woman had had for their children in thousands of years. He'd arrived a few seconds ahead of the rest of his group, and he stepped up onto the platform and placed his palm computer on the stand. The door opened again and the council filed in and took their seats along the back wall directly behind him. He turned as the Sateda group followed them in, Elizabeth at the front with a couple of guards and her server, who John would forever think of as her Lady in waiting.

The first thing he had to do was let people know Elizabeth's identity. A majority of the people in the crowd thought she was just the visiting dignitary and telling them that she was his sister and had been raised as a concubine was going to be one heck of a shock to the people in the room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm going to start our changes with the biggest and possibly most life changing of all. The lady to my left, is the first example of that change and though I'm aware this is a shock to have the steps taken before the announcement, I would like to point out that it was done so with my blessing and after a lot of discussion and a little argument."

He turned to look at Elizabeth who couldn't hide the smile at his comment. It had been a struggle and lot of soul searching for him to agree to allow her marriage to King Ronon of Sateda.

"Not many of you will know who she is, so I'll start with an introduction. Queen Elizabeth of Sateda will be a frequent visitor to our fair city though she is by no means a stranger to its hallways and chambers. Elizabeth Dex, as she is now known, grew up here in Atlantis from the age of seven, she was known as Elizabeth Weir." A collection of gasps went down one side of the room where a dozen or so concubines stood. "She was trained by Carson Beckett to be one of Atlantis' finest concubines, but as you can see, she is no longer of that stature. Prior to being Elizabeth Weir, she went by the name of Sheppard, a name I hope she won't completely throw away."

A round of mumbling broke out and several people complained loudly that it was an affront to let a concubine be elevated to such a status. John had to raise a hand to call for silence and even then several people continue to rage on.

"Elizabeth's training was never completed. I gifted her to the King of Sateda before she took her final test," he was thankful for the term, considering it had been his job to see her through it. "There are no concubines on Sateda and by their example; I remove the status from our laws."

"You can't do that," one man shouted. A chorus of agreement followed and the council behind him got to their feet. The room went instantly silent.

"We pride ourselves in being fair and have always stood our ground as the dominant people in two galaxies. It's a stupid thing to think there is no superiority and there should never have been. If we can't let go of that in our own people, we can't let go of it in a galaxy of people who we should be allied with to help defeat the Wraith. The right to create a concubine was abolished with the disband of the previous council of Atlantis and as always, the vote goes to the council at hand. So," he said, turning to the council who stood waiting in front of their chairs. "All those in favour of abolishing the concubine status, step forward."

As if it had been rehearsed, the council stepped forward in one fluid motion. Carson, having trained most of the concubines in the city, had been a half step ahead of all the others. His opinion changed the day he watched Elizabeth marry the king of another planet.

"Motion passed. For those women currently living as concubines in Atlantis, and any lucky enough to be brought here from Earth, you are now freed."

"And what are they going to do?" someone shouted. "Laze around and eat food we grow?"

"No," John said. "There have always been other jobs for geneless people and here will be no exception. I will no longer enslave these people simply because they have one slight flaw in their genetic makeup. This planet has land, it will be converted to farm land and there will be jobs for the geneless people to work. There will always be severs in the city, as there have been in the past, but from today onwards, they will not be expected to do their jobs and be thankful for their beds. They will be paid fairly for their work, just as you are. We need the allies of this galaxy and in order to find these friends, we need to learn to adapt ourselves to whatever situation we're in. Right now, that's what we see in front of us."

John looked around at the mixture of glee and disgust at what he was saying. It wouldn't be easy to switch the way they'd lived for so long, but he was damn well gonna try.

"As we speak, there are teams on the nearest two planets, aside from Sateda, attempting to negotiate a treaty. We need able bodies in the city to train to fight and use our equipment. We know that the Wraith managed to make it to Earth in two weeks, but there are still other factions in the area. We have an unknown amount of time to train people and prepare ourselves for the upcoming battle to end all battles. We also need food, medical supplies and a safe haven for the people who cannot or will not fight."

"What makes you think they're coming here?" a woman in the front asked.

"We're making sure of it, and we're attempting to get the attention of those who went to Earth," John said and a shock flittered through the crowd. "We're sending a message to them right now that will get their attention and turn them on us. We will not allow them to continue savaging on Earth or other planets in our galaxies. It's time we put an end to the mistake our ancestors made."

"Here, here," someone from the back of the room shouted.

"Sateda will be back on their feet in a few days from their attack a few weeks ago. As soon as they are settled, they will be creating an elite army from volunteers of both army and civilians. We will be doing the same and encouraging other planets to do so as well. Their training will start on their home worlds for five months then they will be brought here. When the wraith return, anyone who is unable or unwilling to fight the Wraith will be sent to a safe section of the city or to one of our allies, starting with Sateda," he said giving Elizabeth a smile. "Then we will start to eliminate the Wraith. I will open the volunteering up to everyone, geneless included, but I draw the line at anyone under the age of eighteen, over the age of sixty and pregnant women."

"That excludes you on two fronts," he heard Teyla whisper to Elizabeth, who in return chuckled. He knew already that she and Teyla were going to be on Sateda dealing with their people while Kate took charge of the remainder of Sateda. Ronon would be in Atlantis in charge of the Satedan Elite.

"Once this battle is over, and we can settle into new lives, I will be making more changes to our current laws at the discretion of the whole council and General O'Neill. Thank you."

He moved to the side as General O'Neill moved into the middle of the stage and offered his arm to Elizabeth. He guided her off the stage as Jack took the stand and headed for the door as he listened to Jack's speech.

"Volunteering will not be confined to just the elite guard. In addition, I need people to go with my crew to salvage the _Prometheus_. Anyone with engineering or electrical backgrounds will be welcome. For anyone wishing to volunteer in any way, you will report to myself, John Sheppard or Rodney McKay. Any of us will take your name, location in the city and a short history from you so we can give you a job you'll be happy with. We will be asking if you have any ideas on how you can help, i.e., if you are offering to join the elitists, you should make sure we know that."

~*~

"You've gotta be kidding me," Rodney spat as he moved back around communications terminal. "I leave you alone for ten minutes and you've broken it already?"

"I didn't break it," Peter interjected. "You can't break a machine that doesn't work to begin with."

"It worked yesterday," Rodney spat back sarcastically. "I tested it."

"So you broke it," Peter teased, earning a glare from Rodney.

"Show me what you're doing."

"I open a channel," he said, as if he was talking to a small child, he opened the channel to show Rodney. "See. Then I keyed in the message." He typed in the message for the fifth time today. "And I hit send." He tapped the button and grinned as the error came up on the screen. It was like sending an email with no mail server and a much larger distance to travel.

"Huh," was all Rodney could manage and he flicked open his own laptop and started to run through the programming code he'd written yesterday. Typing quickly, he quirked a brow and looked up Peter. "Try it now."

Peter raised a brow of his own, catching a glimpse of John and Elizabeth in the doorway before he turned his attention back to the communications terminal. He opened the channel, typed out the message once more and carefully tapped the send button. This time, instead of the error he'd seen all day, he got a successful message and watched as the transmission light on the terminal next to him lit up and then blinked out.

"It's done," he said. "The message should reach the Wraith in the next three weeks."

Three weeks and seven months to get ready for the biggest fight in the history of Atlantis.

~*~

Ronon's daily absence from Sateda had an impact on the city and palace, and Elizabeth found it harder and harder to deal with, the further her pregnancy progressed. She found he wasn't always back at night either, or he'd come in while she was asleep and be gone before she was awake again. It stung a little, but she knew his reasons for leaving her alone on the planet were justified. What good was a king who ordered men and women into battle and didn't go with them?

When he'd first made the announcement for volunteers, he'd done so only to his staff, giving them the chance to step forward to fight before he went out into the city and other areas of Sateda. He'd given them one day to step up, time to discuss it with family and giving himself time to arrange the announcement to the rest of Sateda. Anyone from the palace would need to be replaced and Elizabeth had been shocked when Teyla had taken a seat with her at lunch time and asked her permission to join the elite team. As much as she liked Teyla and wanted to keep her as her server, she couldn't deny the woman the chance to fight the Wraith. Elizabeth would have been there with her, had she not been pregnant. Thankfully, Kate had opted out of the chance in order to help her with everything else that would need to be done, knowing first hand that Ronon wouldn't sit back and let everyone else do the work.

A day after the announcement and the request for replacement people in the palace was made, almost a third of the population signed up to fight the Wraith. John sent a team of people from Atlantis to help rebuild cities around the world. Hundreds of Atlanteans streamed in through the gate and each of them needed to be assigned a location to rebuild and somewhere to sleep. As the months passed, several of the groups returned to Atlantis, the smaller cities and villages finished or they'd simply grown tired of the work.

For those months, Elizabeth did what she could for her new people, making herself known and found she was quickly and easily accepted. In between, she would stand on one of the balconies overlooking the training yards, watching the men learn to fight and picking out the people she knew. She had found herself impressed as she watched Teyla move, quickly and easily in a training fight and even grinned as she pinned Ronon to the ground almost as though he was some common teenager and not a burly man who had spent his life building muscles.

Before she knew it, the elite team was gathering around the palace. Their new training grounds would be in Atlantis and a majority of them would remain there until the Wraith arrived in two months time. Elizabeth found herself standing in the main hall, watching the leaders check their lists and supplies and wondering if Ronon would return in time to see his child born, if he returned at all. The thought had occurred to her many times and each time it had reduced her to tears. Laura, her new server, had learned quickly how to cheer her up, instantly stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder as Elizabeth's head drooped with the idea that this would be the last time she'd see her husband.

As if he was reading her mind, or sensing her mood, Ronon appeared in the door way and quickly weaved his way between the men to stop in front of her. His eyes flicked to Laura before his hand reached out and settled on Elizabeth's seven month pregnant belly. Elizabeth looked away, almost ashamed that he'd seen her near to tears, when the men around her had more to fear from the upcoming battle with the Wraith. He took her hand, indicating to Laura to stay put and led her away from the crowd and into the main meeting room, one she remembered fondly from her first days on Sateda. The embrace he pulled her into the moment the door was closed was delicate. He seemed afraid to hurt her even though he wanted nothing more than to hold her. She tightened her grip on him, not wanting to let him go as all the dread of what could happen washed over her.

"I'll be back before the Wraith get here," he promised. "I will be here to protect you."

"You'll do what you have to do," she countered, knowing too well that protecting Sateda from the Wraith was more important than she was. They hadn't made it to the end of their first year yet and she would offer prayer to anything that would listen to give her that time with him and their family.

"Elizabeth," he said, pulling back and resting his hands on her belly. "I want to be there when it's born." They both knew the timing was bad, the Wraith would be here when she was due and chances were she'd have the baby while he was still on Atlantis, or as the Wraith started their attack. "If I can't."

"Don't," she almost begged him, not wanting to think of the possibility that he'd miss it completely. He brought a hand up, to her cheek.

"If I can't." She watched him swallow. "My mother will be here in my place and yours if I can manage it."

"Ronon."

"I know you understand what I have to do. But I will do everything I can to be there for you," he said determinedly. "Even if that means sending someone in my place."

"I know," she said. It was what she'd wanted to say before, but he hadn't given her the chance. He kissed her and turned away, heading for the door. "I love you." It made him stop and for a moment she thought he was just going to walk away and not reply, then he turned back to her, closed the distance between them and kissed her passionately before he left the room.


	16. Chapter 16

Ronon turned, looking back up at the control room and more specifically at John. Everything had gone without a hitch until about two weeks ago and then the only good thing had been no sign of the Wraith. But other problems had started to turn up, issues with the devices and transporting drones to other planets. Then with the appearance of the Wraith on the long range sensors, things had gone quickly downhill. First, something the science teams had done to prepare the Atlantis chair had taken out the gate system completely, nothing in or out. While repairing it, they had then managed to knock out the power to half of the city. Now that everything was working again and their transport methods secure, they were preparing to send people home with a team from Atlantis and each of the planets leaving a handful of people behind.

Thing was... someone else had dialled in, stopping them from going anywhere.

Ronon wanted to be back on Sateda. It would take the Wraith three days to reach them and it would take them almost as long to get set up for the fight. But he was more interested in his wife. Elizabeth had been alone on Sateda as their queen for two months and due to have their first child any day now. He had no doubt in her ability to cope with either, considering he'd left her with Kate and his mother for guidance. But there was only so long he could go without the touch of her skin, the smile on her face and knowledge of her health. For all he knew, she'd already given birth and he would step back into the city and find out if she'd given him a son or a daughter. They'd discussed names, but neither of them had managed to settle on any one or two in particular.

"My Lord," Teyla said, stepping up beside him. Since they started training, she'd become a friend to him. On their first day, when he'd stood in front of a group of men and women and asked if any of them dare attack him, she'd bravely stepped up and had instantly put up a fight to be proud of. When asked why she hadn't joined the guard, she'd shrugged and mentioned that none of her family had. "Are you more anxious to see your home, or your wife?"

He could pick out the tease of her voice and he turned to give her a playful glare. They had paired up for a part of their training, a section during which they had to use their knowledge of the person to annoy them, make them attack harder – it challenged both the attacker and the victim to up their game, leaving no room for mistakes. She'd easily managed to use Elizabeth against him, teasing him about leaving her behind, alone and not yet ready to be a queen. Mentioned her pregnancy and that he would be a bad father if he wasn't there for the birth. When she'd approached to apologise later he'd hugged her.

"How about getting set up in time to keep her and our child alive?" he said. "At this rate, we won't even be back on the planet before the Wraith get there." The second he'd finished, the gate shut down, the maximum gate time expiring and up in the control room John instantly spat for them to dial. "Tell me," he said watching the chevrons light up. "When this is over, what will you do?"

"I do not understand," Teyla said.

"Will you return to Elizabeth's service or will you stay in the army?"

She didn't answer for a while and he turned to find her mulling the question over carefully. A collective sigh went around him and he turned back to find the gate open. Nobody moved and Ronon held his breath in anticipation, the connection could still be a distraction and not a connection with any of their local allies. Ronon hated the idea that they'd be forever stuck here, unable to complete the loop the planets would create around the Wraith ready to strike.

"Ronon," John called down and he turned in time with Teyla to look up at him. "Sateda's waiting. Say hi to Elizabeth for me." Ronon gave him a nod and turned back to the crowd.

"All right, let's get going, time's wasting sitting still and other people have homes they'd like to see again." Before he'd finished, the Satedans heading back with him and the Atlantis team with all their equipment were filing steadily through the gate. He picked up his bag and grabbed the end of the crate of drone shells he was carrying and waited as Teyla took the other end. It was heavier than expected and they staggered slightly with the weight between them before starting off at a steady pace for the gate.

His mother greeted him with a wide grin on the other side and behind her he could see Kate directing men to the location they had picked out for their weapons, still inside the palace grounds, but close enough to the city to be helpful to them in the time of need. He handed his end of the box off to another guard, giving Teyla a pat on the shoulder as he moved away, amazed that she still had hold of the other end.

"Mother," he said, the low growl he usually gave her accompanying it, as though he were a little boy, ready to be scolded. "Where's Elizabeth?"

"Resting," she said. "And before you ask, no she hasn't had the baby yet. I think she's stubbornly holding out for you. Either that or the baby is waiting." Secretly he hoped it was the latter. "Anything need doing?" she asked looking around and eying McKay as he stepped last out of the gate, device in hand and mumbling away as he passed them. Ronon waited as the man paused, looking around then continued off towards the main doors.

"Has everything been prepared for the attack?"

"Supplies are stored for three weeks in each of the bunkers," Kate said appearing at his mother's side. "Medical supplies checked and so on. Personnel such as doctors, cooks, military and such have been equally assigned into the bunkers so each one gets the help it needs and we've arranged for the citizens to go to specific location when the bells start chiming. When everything happens, Sateda should be massively over-organised."

"Who's idea was all that?" Ronon asked with a quirked brow.

"Elizabeth's," his mother said. "You know, despite her upbringing, she's going to become the best queen Sateda's ever had." Ronon couldn't help but raise both brows at that comment, waiting to see if she'd add the 'besides me' comment he would have expected of her. "Including me," she added instead.

"Then the only thing left for you to do is move out of my way so I can go find my wife." They both grinned and stepped out of his way.

~*~

She'd fallen asleep as Laura pressed the pillows against her back; there was only one comfortable position to lay in these days, on her side with a support behind her. A few nights ago, in tears that Laura hadn't known how to deal with, that back support had ended up being Kate. Elizabeth had known he'd be home and had gone the whole two months without crying herself to sleep or worrying extensively about him, but that night, the baby had been kicking harder than normal and had kept her awake far too late. She'd told Laura many times that night that she could go, but the woman had insisted on staying until she was comfortable and asleep. She'd joked about there being no such thing as comfortable anymore and then started crying.

It hadn't been until the next morning that she'd realised the comment had made her think of how Ronon used to lie with her, pressed against her back so she could rest back on him. She'd pushed all of Laura's attempts to comfort away and eventually, at her wits end, Laura had vanished from the room. It had only been a few minutes later that Kate had appeared, in her night clothes and had battled past Elizabeth's arms to engulf her in a hug.

Today though, was a completely different matter altogether. Knowing he was coming back today, she'd spent a large portion of the day sitting in the chair in the entryway, the doors open, letting the summer heat waft in around her and watching the preparations to the weapons location and the final supplies being moved into the closest bunker. By mid day meal, Amara had become frustrated with always finding her there. Several times she'd ushered her away to her bedroom or a library promising that when he returned, Ronon would come to her.

She'd returned a short time later, checking in with the gate guard and turned to find Amara and Kate standing in the main hall watching her. That had been the last straw for them. Three servers had escorted her to her bedroom, with orders that she was to lay down and nothing else and that none of them were to leave until she had rested for an hour, or Ronon arrived. She'd submitted, too tired to argue with them and allowed Laura to take her arm as they started up the stairs. She'd just as easily let them help her onto the bed and almost instantly fallen asleep as the servers moved around her to get her comfortable. She didn't know how long she'd been asleep for, but Elizabeth knew one thing - the sight that greeted her when she opened her eyes was the best thing she'd ever seen in her life. Ronon.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered, his hand gliding lazily over her belly. He had stretched out on the bed in front of her one arm tucked under his head, the fingers idly playing with a strand of her hair and the other resting on her stomach. She must have been exhausted. The baby was moving eagerly, almost as though it sensed its father returning home and she had managed to remain asleep through it.

"Ronon," she breathed, shifting forward on the bed towards him and tucking herself into his embrace. He smelled fresh and wonderful and just as she remembered. Strangely it occurred to her that he must have showered. There was no way he could go two months on Atlantis and come home not smelling like the ancient's technology and gun powder. Regardless, she breathed him in.

He pressed a hand down on her lower back and she let out a low, pained groan. Ronon apologised quickly and reached for the pillows she'd abandoned in favour of being closer to him.

"No," she said, stopping him. She reached up, moving his hand to her back again before moving hers to his chest. "The pressure helps," she explained.

He smiled and pulled her closer. She could feel her stomach press against him, his hand pressing against her until she let out a sigh of relief. The discomfort in her back had started that morning, building as the day moved on. His hand felt lovely, he felt wonderful and she could feel the tug of sleep and the baby moving and a wave of contentment washed over her. This was how it should be.

The door of the room opened and Ronon lifted his head as footsteps made their way in. Elizabeth didn't move. She was in paradise at the moment and it would take a Wraith attack or similar emergency to pry her from him. The smell of a hot meal weaved into her senses and she moaned again. Food was not her friend lately and the thought of moving to attempt eating was not a pleasant one. Ronon placed a kiss against her temple, pulling away from her, but not taking his hand from her back.

"Dinner, and then we can curl up here for the night," he said. She groaned and almost jumped as someone's hand replaced his on her back. She turned, letting them help her up and was shocked to find Teyla grinning at her. Elizabeth couldn't resist the noise of glee she let out before she hugged Teyla.

~*~

Teyla jogged through the corridors of the palace, familiar and slightly strange. They'd been back for two days and still it was a little weird to be here. She skipped down the stairs and across the entryway to the open main doors and then down the steps to the front garden, now tattered slightly from the hundreds of people going in and out of the building, to the Stargate or other locations as well as the usual guards, and the people checking final changes to supplies and space allocation in the bunkers. Her daily routine had changed from what she used to go through with Elizabeth, but it wasn't a completely horrible change. Early morning, she'd slip in with breakfast along with Ronon's server and then vanish for a few hours to the training rooms. She had to keep her strength up. A few hours later, she was back with Elizabeth and dealing with anything and everything she needed, just as she had done in the past.

She missed the routine, though for the last two days it had practically been thrown out the window. Elizabeth was seriously uncomfortable, her back pained at every movement and she spent a lot of time crying from the agony of it. Teyla did what she could, wrapping warm cloths across her to see if they could ease the pain or putting pressure on the spot to give her some form of relief. A memory sparked every time Elizabeth wanted to change position - her sister had been like this for her first child, only for her, it had lasted nothing more than a day before the baby was born. Elizabeth was close, there was no denying it. All they could to do was make her as comfortable as possible until that time. Sadly, that wasn't going to be easy.

She turned at the bottom of the stairs and shot out over the grass towards Ronon. A guard he was talking to turned and ran back to the castle as she approached and people where running around in all directions with their tasks. She caught sight of people hurrying into the grounds from the city, handing over their slips of paper that allowed them access to the bunker they approached.

"Elizabeth is in too much pain," Teyla said, raising her voice over the sound of the warning bells, they had started a few minutes ago, seconds before Amara had burst into the room to help her get their queen out of the bed she was laying on. "Moving her has become difficult." It was the downside of letting her stay in the bed for two days. Teyla vividly remember the agony her friend had been in that morning, as she was forced to dress, knowing that at some point she'd have to come down to the bunkers. In retrospect, they should have moved her to safety then instead of leaving her in the complete comfort of her own bed. Well, his technically. From what she understood from Laura, Elizabeth had refused to stay in her own room while he was gone and she'd only used that room twice since they had been married, both of which were in the beginning while she became accustomed to sleeping with Ronon.

Ronon turned, patted her shoulder quickly in a show she'd come to recognise as 'take my place' and vanished from view. She let out a deep sigh and turned towards the bunker. She crossed to it quickly, passed the guard and followed a young girl down into its brightness. The space was limited down there and they had no idea how long this battle would go on for, a few hours or a few days, could even be a week or two for all they knew. She moved to the middle of the room, where the medical bay had been set up, four walls of materials hanging from the high ceilings giving them a central and private area to work in.

Pushing aside the covers, Teyla stepped in and looked around at the few people currently in the space. No one was hurt yet, aside perhaps from a strained ankle or a grazed knee from falling down the stairs. She picked Janet out of the group easily, her voice of authority carried well and she stood, even in the heels of her shoes a good half-foot shorter than everyone else.

"Do you have a space for the queen?" Teyla asked stopping just out of arms reach of the woman. Janet looked over her right shoulder and then turned to point.

"That bed will be used only in emergencies, or should the queen need it. I've been told she has a place with Kate and Amara along one of the inner walls."

"She does," Teyla confirmed. "She is coming down now, though she is very uncomfortable. The pain in her back has increased since morning."

"I wish I could do something to help," Janet said with an exasperated sigh. "Sadly, she'll probably have to put up with that pain until her water breaks."

Teyla nodded and turned to leave, getting out was harder than getting in. People had suddenly swarmed the safety of the bunkers and didn't want to move for anyone exiting, not that anyone should be leaving. She slipped up the side, passing the people with her breath held to squeeze through and emerged into the garden as Elizabeth, Ronon and Amara started down the main stairs. Elizabeth was on her feet, but had to stop periodically to stretch at her back – despite Ronon's hand in place. She debated for a moment not telling her what Janet had just said, then figured it would be cruel not to warn her friend about how much more pain she could potentially be in.

"Show me the queen's sleeping location," she said turning to the nearest guard. He turned the paper around to show her the map of the shelter he held and pointed out the dot labelled 'Queen Elizabeth' it was between 'Queen Mother Amara' and 'Lady Kate Heightmeyer' and only a few paces from the medical centre of the bunker. Turning away she crossed the ground to join Ronon.

"Any idea how long it will take to get people down there?" Ronon asked as she moved to walk beside him. She didn't know the answer and was thankful when Elizabeth chimed in.

"People were told to drop everything and head for their assigned bunker as soon as the bells started," she paused, taking a deep and seemingly difficult breath. "We estimated it would take two hours at each bunker if everyone did as instructed." She turned her face to the sky and took another deep breath.

"Want me to carry you now?" Ronon asked and Teyla could tell by his tone that he'd almost insisted on doing so earlier. Elizabeth nodded. Ronon bent, carefully placing a hand across her back, not so high that her back would dip between his arms and not so low that her shoulders were completely unsupported before he slipped her legs out from under her. Elizabeth made a noise of pain before she bit it off.

"There's no point hiding pain," Amara said, a little too cheerfully as Teyla led them back to the bunker. "If you have that baby while we're down here, half of Sateda will hear you scream."

"That's gonna make her feel so much better," Ronon spat sarcastically.

"Who said I was here for that?" Amara said. "I'm just here because I'll get to see my grandchild before you do."

Ronon paused a few feet from the bunker steps and tilted his head back to glare at his mother. She gave him a sweet and innocent smile that Teyla knew was anything but sweet and innocent. Ronon turned back shaking his head.

"Remember, Elizabeth," he said, stopping to kiss her cheek. "You have the power and authority to tell her to shut up at any time."

Teyla tried hard not to laugh. She wished briefly that she hadn't joined the army now, so she could sit down in the bunker with Elizabeth and find out just what Amara Dex was like. The thought reminded her that she hadn't answered Ronon's question and as the guard's stopped people entering so they could descend the stairs, she turned her head a little.

"Both," she said to him. "You asked what I wanted to do when this was over. Elizabeth's server or a member of the army, I would like to do both."

"And how would you work that?" Amara asked, as Teyla led them through the bunks towards the medical centre.

"I thought perhaps I could continue morning training as I have the last few days and then be Elizabeth's server and personal guard at the same time."

Ronon snorted in amusement. "I like it," he said simply. He moved down the side of the bed, just as simple and lumpy looking as all the others, and carefully eased Elizabeth down. Before she could move, attempting to turn onto her side, he placed a hand on her stomach and leaned in to whisper to her. Despite the fact that she turned away, Teyla heard the promise to be there when the baby was born and that their second child shouldn't be so much trouble. She hoped he was right, or Elizabeth's screams that she hated him while giving birth might just ring true.

Screams from the surface turned their attention and the bells started to ring faster. Someone at the bottom of the stairs screamed 'Wraith' before people began pushing their way past him. Ronon kissed Elizabeth, placed a kiss on her stomach and then started towards the door, Teyla followed. They passed Kate an arm full of pillows on her way in, pushing past people who were now frantically trying to get into the bunker. She vaguely heard a guard underground shout for quiet and attention and take charge of the chaos as they made it out of the bunker and ran towards the Atlantis weapon.

"We should have had a few more hours," Ronon said, turning his head to look at the few darts heading through the clouds towards them. He snatched his gun up and turned to the gates, there were still people darting through them and in the distance Ronon could see a small boy standing staring up at the sky. "Get the people into the bunkers," he shouted to Teyla and took off at a dead run for the gate.


	17. Chapter 17

"What the hell kind of message did you send them?" John bellowed rounding on one of the scientists who had worked with Rodney to send the Wraith signal. The Wraith had been relentless on all five of the planets, and according to a few scouting jumpers in the area, they were attacking other planets too. John had hoped that Earth's bounty would have spared everyone except them, but it seemed he was wrong. He turned storming from the room and ran the short distance down the corridor to the drone room. "Why doesn't anything go to plan?" John muttered to himself as he walked head strong into the room and straight into a marine.

"Because that would be too easy, sir," she said. "Life wouldn't be worth the struggle." John paused, let out a breath between closed lips, feeling it shake them as it passed he quirked a brow at her and just carried on walking.

"Someone give me some good news," he called to the room at large.

"We have enough drones," Peter said, catching on the first thing that came to mind. John gave him a look. "Well it's a start, isn't it?" Peter turned back to his task, the inventory was almost full, only the few hundred they had sent out to other planets were missing from the thousands they had in storage.

"The auto load works," another person said. "And the chair responds, we just haven't managed to get the firing mechanism to function properly."

"We're running out of time, the Wraith are pulling back. You have about ten minutes to get it working or we're missing the time slot and only four of the five will be firing." He left them to their work. Everyone in the city knew the results of one planet failing to fire at the Wraith: it was disastrous, they either starting firing at similar times to build up the power in the drones or everything would collapse, including the gate system and they'd be stranded wherever they were fighting the whole of the Wraith armada. With almost six thousand people in the very depth of the city, along with a handful hiding out on the mainland, the Wraith could completely wipe them out in the blink of an eye. They needed that weapon. He paused at a window, watching a dart zip past the rising sun, and swallowed hard.

~*~

It was quiet when Elizabeth woke the next morning. She didn't move, couldn't bring herself to dare and she kept her eyes closed for a little bit longer. But the silence was interesting. Intriguing even. A collective hush seemed to have fallen and Elizabeth peeked an eye open to see if anyone was in view. The three citizens she could see were all staring at the ceiling, as if expecting it to open up and drop balloons on them. Behind her, someone shifted on a nearby bed.

"Is it over?" a boy asked loudly. His mother hushed him.

A loud boom of a voice, muffled by the walls and dirt between them, shouted out over the quiet and Elizabeth smiled as she recognised the rumble of Ronon's tone. He was still alive up there and the thought warmed her to the bone. Still she shivered, turning her head slightly and looking up at the ceiling, just as expectantly as the others. Someone seemed to spot her movement and she found Kate leaning over her, a hand protectively on her stomach.

"You all right?" she asked quietly, not wanting to be heard by too many. Elizabeth considered the answer. The pain in her back seemed to have reduced itself to a throb, though that could only be because she hadn't actually moved yet, but she felt sick and as she looked back towards the ceiling, it dipped dizzily for her.

"I've had better days," she said huskily. Kate looked up and someone nearby got up and moved away. Kate turned back with a cup eased to Elizabeth's lips. She'd been fine all the way through her pregnancy and now, she felt as if death had paid her a visit with a warning.

Amara appeared in her vision and the serious look in her face made Elizabeth worry. She'd never been serious. Even when discussing serious matters the woman was almost crazy. Elizabeth hadn't noticed how comforting it had been until now. The older woman dropped down onto her knees beside Elizabeth and placed a hand on her cheek. Instantly she realised what they were so worried about. The touch had been wonderfully cool, which mean she was dangerously hot. Panic set in quickly. She didn't know a lot about being pregnant, but having a fever now couldn't be a good thing.

"It's okay," Amara soothed instantly. "Just relax, we're here for you." Elizabeth let her eyes close for a moment and she concentrated on breathing slowly. A hand on her arm made her open her eyes again and she let them ease her onto her back. The pain erupted with the motion and she felt instantly sick.

"Ronon," she breathed, trying to bite back the bile that threatened to rise. Janet soothed her, moving slowly and consistently around to check on her, she didn't pay attention to what was being done. She had lain in Janet's medical room every few weeks since they discovered she was pregnant. She let her head lull to the side and caught sight of several people watching her, the people she was meant to be leading right now.

A boom rocked the bunker and a few screams broke out around her. On the surface, shouts and cries could be heard and then for a moment the silence returned. She took a deep breath, trying to settle the speed of her heart. She'd almost jumped out of her skin at the noise. The contraction started an instant before the second boom and Elizabeth quickly rolled to her side, curling up against the new pain that rushed around her lower back and shot over her hips to her stomach. The nurse who'd come with Janet was quick and managed to shove a bowl in front of her before she threw up. The sounds from above sounded like a mass of small wind storms zipping past over them and it was quickly drowned out by the scream Elizabeth released with the pain.

The silence inside the bunker wrapped around her and she vaguely heard someone talking about moving her. She considered biting them for attempting it before she realised being moved would have her out of the people's prying eyes. A much better option.

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes closed, the sense of people moving around her washing over her without care. She waited, taking steady breaths, or at least as steady as she could. When someone finally started helping her up, she felt the horrible pain in her back and whimpered at the thought.

"Elizabeth," Amara's voice infested her ears and she opened her eyes to find herself standing beside the bed with Amara supporting her from one side and Laura on the other. "Look at me," the woman instructed and Elizabeth turned, feeling the world dip a little. "You're gonna be a mother soon," she said betraying her own worry with a massive grin.

"And you'll get to feel that much older," Elizabeth said coyly. Amara laughed and ushered her a few steps forward, towards the medical bay. It only took a couple of steps before Elizabeth stopped, refusing to move as the ricochet of pain ran up her back. She groaned, feeling it shift lower before pulsing through her stomach.

"Breath through the pain, Elizabeth," Janet instructed, stepping into her view and pressed a hand against her lower stomach. She gasped as the baby shifted and instantly felt the relief as someone added a firm hand to her back. As the pain abated she looked up at the worried faces around her. People where watching her, concern and anxiety written plainly across their features. Others more curious or excited that they were in the queen's presence when she was about to give birth.

"This is gonna get worse?" Elizabeth moaned out her last breath before they started moving again.

"It's worse now because the pain is in your back, it'll shift once your water breaks and it might be more bearable then."

Might. Out of the whole thing it was the only word she heard. The ground shuddered again and Elizabeth felt the panic rising again as she thought of Ronon. He was going to miss this and she wanted him there. Wanted his strong arms to hold her, take away the pain and to see their child when it was born. The thought that they hadn't even managed to settle on a name added to her worry and she turned, looking around for a guard who could find the few Atlantis personnel in the bunker and ask them to get a message to him. She could hear several people saying her name, ignoring each of them as she sought out just one man who could help her. As she turned again, Kate caught her arm, her firm grip pressing nails into the flesh on her upper arm made her look at the woman.

"What do you need?" she asked, knowing that under any circumstance, Elizabeth wouldn't be crazy enough to seek something unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Ronon," Elizabeth said and she caught the flicker of confusion before worry settled across her advisor's face. "Atlantis people have radios, they don't go anywhere without them." The information clicked and Kate handed her over to Laura and turned away from them. Amara pulled her back around to the medical centre now in reach and Elizabeth only took a single step before the pain of another contraction washed through her. She grit her teeth, breathing hard through them. Laura's hands pressed against her back, Janet pressing against her front and Amara holding tightly to her shoulders to keep her up.

"That was too close to the last," Janet said. Pressing her fingers carefully to a point lower down, then down again. She stopped and looked up sharply at Amara.

"What?"

"This isn't going to take long," she said. "The baby's head is lower down than expected. We need to get her in the medical bay now."

~*~

Ronon ran along the side of the building, the two Atlantis guards close on his heels; the Wraith had given up with the darts, aware that there were only a handful of people actually on the surface and the rest way out of reach. They had started searching the ground for stragglers and military personnel. He paused at the corner and quickly glanced around it. Three Wraith moved slowly towards the building, one breaking off and heading in their direction as the others moved for the large door at the back of the building. It would lead them straight for a kitchen, a dead end except for the main door. All objects from that room were passed through serving doors or taken up small cart lifts to other floors.

He remembered Elizabeth's grin when she'd seen it, and explained that they used to have something very similar on Earth years ago and these days only in the most elaborate of houses. He joked that it was an elaborate house and made her giggle at the understatement. He shoved the memory aside, wondering if she was all right and if he'd miss the birth of the future of Sateda. One of the men behind him took a step back, listening to something over the radio, and Ronon watched him out the corner of his eye, the other firmly trained on the Wraith who had wandered out far enough that they could see him clearly. It would only take the creature to turn in the right direction in order to spot them and then they'd be in a fight with it.

Hand signals passed between the others, whatever went over their comm device had been important and one of them had signalled a retreat. Ronon didn't argue. They had the information and he took a few steps backwards as the Wraith turned and saw them. Another boom rocked the palace as Ronon raised his gun and shot the Wraith quickly. Once, twice, and the third time it collapsed to the ground. He toggled the setting; a Wraith was better dead fast. They pressed themselves against the back wall, waiting to see if the other two had seen or heard anything. Nothing came for several minutes and just as one of the men motioned for them to back away a Wraith stepped around the corner, pinned him to the wall without hesitation and slapped his hand against his chest.

For a moment the sickening feeling of his heart pumping to keep him alive flooded him like a wave of excitement, as though he were a child and his birthday had come early and he couldn't wait to find out what his presents were. A moment later he felt the fickle hand of death for a fraction of a second before the Wraith pulled back and gave him a disgusted look. Ronon raised his gun and shot the Wraith cleanly in the chest. It went down instantly. The third appeared and both Atlantis men opened fired on it before turning back to him.

"You okay?" Lorne asked. Ronon could only nod. "That Wraith was feeding on you, but it didn't do anything." Ronon looked down at the blood that started to soak his shirt.

"My father always said I had thick skin."

"I don't think that's what he meant," Lorne said with a creased brow.

"Neither do I, but I'll take what I can right now."

Lorne nodded. "Well I hate to be the one to break it to you," he said. "But you're wife's in labour."

"What?" Ronon said. The term was alien to him and it had no sense of meaning at the moment.

"She's having the baby," Markham clarified.

Ronon turned instantly and headed back to the front of the castle. He was stopped at the nock in the building. Another Wraith stood grinning at them, a stupid thing to do considering he was faced with three armed men. Ronon didn't miss a beat and raised his gun to shoot.

"No," Lorne shouted a second too late. Ronon had fired and the explosion rippled over him, forcing him back into the palace walls, his head hit hard and he slid down to the ground unconscious.

~*~

"The power's building."

The words were beautiful to him, like angels singing in his ears. It had worked: all five planets were firing drones at the Wraith. John turned eagerly to the monitor and watched the massive fleet. Nothing was different, all of them, hundreds of them, were still there; scattered across their galaxy trying to feed on people who were safely hidden in their own way and right in the middle, protected by an Atlantis shield, were three space gates.

The little blue dot of the Ancients technology was a glorious sight in amongst the white Wraith ships. Angled to cover as much ground as possible and close enough together that their opening event horizons came within a hair of touching each other. The shield had only one control purpose, other than keeping Wraith and whatever they could throw at it away from the gates, it let the drones through into the space around them. All of them specifically programmed to target anything Wraith and take it out, all of them aiming for the largest thing it could find.

A Wraith ship near the gates blinked out of existence and a cheer ran around the room. Only a few hundred left to go but from this point on, it would be much easier. The more power the drones built up from the gate systems they passed through – being all five planets before exiting one of the central ones – the more power they would gather. The more drones that passed through, the higher the gate's power levels would go, creating much bigger explosions. Eventually, one drone would have the ability to take out five or six ships in one go.

The problems were a planet running out of drones before the Wraith were all destroyed, or if one planet failed to continue flying drones into the gate system, then the power would start to decrease. John held his breath for a second, watching three more ships vanish from the screen. Only a few more hours to go and hopefully, he secretly crossed his fingers, this would all be over. Forever.


	18. Chapter 18

"Why hasn't her water broken?" Kate asked, she tried to keep her voice low, aware that people had slipped closer to the walls of the medical bay wanting to know about their Queen. The agony Elizabeth was in was evident every second now. There was no break for her and the pain medication Janet had received from Atlantis did nothing to help her. Janet pulled back from checking the water sac and frowned at Kate. She didn't know the answer to the question.

"That's not so much a problem as the baby's position. It's breeched and already pushing into the birthing canal, that's why she's in so much pain."

Janet crossed to the opening that protected Elizabeth from sight and looked out. Two of the guards from the bunker doors were dragging Ronon into the medical bay. He was unconscious and Janet instantly spotted the blood on his shirt. She was torn for a moment. Her highest duty was to the current ruler of the planet, Ronon. But at the same time, her duty was to bring the next heir into the world safely.

"Cordel," she called out, drawing her chief nurse to her. "You're in charge of the king," she said pausing to swallow back the feeling of dread that accompanied the decision. "I'm here if you need advice, but I need to be here at all times." Cordel nodded and rushed over to the king. Janet watched for a moment before another of Elizabeth's ear splitting screams forced her to turn around. The contraction built fast and she could see Elizabeth pushing against the pain. She wanted it over just as much as the women around her did, but she couldn't push yet. "Elizabeth, you need to stop pushing," Janet said. Amara instantly took up the instruction as Janet slipped her hand in to try and ease her pain.

"Are you listening to me?" Amara said determined to get Elizabeth attention. Kate watched Elizabeth breathe through firmly clamped teeth, growling at the sensation as she fixed her eyes on the older woman. "One embarrassing Ronon story for every time you do as you're told." Amara smiled; Kate couldn't bring herself to do the same. Her heart was pounding in her chest, the booms shocking the building at regular intervals and not only was Elizabeth currently in trouble, but so was Ronon and their child. She didn't dare think about the implications that all three of them could die here, today.

She could see the strain on her friend's face. It made her look shockingly old. She remembered the meek sixteen year old who had stepped into the meeting room that first day, her back straight, head high and eyes down cast. She was the image of beauty and decorum. She wouldn't have been able to know she was but a concubine by the stance she'd taken and the easy cool manner at which she'd sunk to the floor on the other side of the table. She should have been a queen from birth. Now though, she was strained, her face drawn with exhaustion and the colour had vanished before she'd even woken a few hours ago. She'd gained ten years in the space of three hours and the dark circles and pale skin made Kate think she wouldn't last much longer like this.

"With the next contraction, Elizabeth, push!" Janet ordered. Kate waited, holding tight to Elizabeth's hand. Tthe power in her body seemed depleted through her arms and for a moment, she considered that there was nothing left to push with. Then a sparkle hit Elizabeth's eyes and movement turned Kate's head to see Ronon shifted down the side towards her. Instantly she released Elizabeth's hand, moving so Ronon could take her place.

He looked to be in much the same condition she was, tattered and bleeding and paled to within an inch of his life. But he stood there, her hand clamped tight in his and a hand resting carefully on her stomach before he leaned in close, kissed her cheek and whispered something she couldn't hear. As he pulled back Elizabeth found the strength she need and started to push. Her teeth grinding together for a moment, Elizabeth put all her effort into it before she let out a small scream of exhaustion and dropped back.

"I can see it," Ronon said. Kate took a step to the side, the baby's backside just crowning from her. "Come on, Elizabeth," he encouraged.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, groaning as the next contraction started and pushed hard, teeth clamped and a growl forcing its way out. She dropped back for the barest of moment before she did it again and again and Kate watched the frustration and need to get it over with pass over Elizabeth's face before she gave a final scream and dropped back completely exhausted on the bed.

Kate turned only when the baby cried out and small cheer started outside the medical area. She couldn't help but smile now as she turned back to Elizabeth, exhausted and barely awake, the tears slipped down the side of her face. A flicker of something passed Elizabeth's face and the smile fell. She grabbed the nearest nurse.

"Take the baby," she ordered, before turning to the doctor. "Janet," she said, turning the woman's attention to Elizabeth, eyes now closed. Janet stripped off her gloves and moved up the side of the bed passed Amara.

"Pulse is weak," she said, pausing to listen to her chest. "Breathing's fine. Fluids, fast track and get a monitor on her." The orders were out quickly and easily despite the fact that she'd barely used the Atlantis equipment before.

"Janet?" Ronon asked, his eye darting back to the nurse, now standing to the side cleaning his child.

"She'll be fine. She's exhausted and lost a lot of blood. Not to mention she hasn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime and drank only a few sips of water when she was awake in the night."

Ronon nodded, his eyes settling on Elizabeth for a moment before he twisted to find his baby. The look he gave her made it clear he wasn't about to leave his wife for anything, and instinctively she knew what he wanted. He wanted to hold his child, find out if he had a son or daughter. She nodded, moving away and ushered the nurse close. She took a step back as the nurse carefully handed over the small bundle, still covered in its mother's fluid but now warmly wrapped in a blanket.

"You have a daughter, your majesty," the nurse said, with a small bow. Ronon grinned, looking down at the small girl squirming in his arms. He turned to look at Elizabeth, her eyes were open to small slits and she watched them calmly. He leaned in closer, laying the baby across her chest. She reached up as best she could and he grabbed her wrists to help her hold her daughter, keeping his hands on her as well as the baby.

"What are we gonna call her?" Ronon asked softly. The most they'd managed to agree on was the choice between a dozen names.

"Kara," she said, just as softly. It was his choice and he couldn't help but agree. "Kara Victoria Dex." Ronon kissed her cheek, pressing his nose against her and smiled.

"You need to rest," he whispered. "We'll take care of her for a while." Elizabeth nodded, too exhausted to argue and let her arms fall back as he took the baby from her.

"You owe me at least one story," Elizabeth said. Amara grinned.

"What story?"

"We'll start with the hunting trip. His father took him out for two days to catch wildlife and fish, they came back with nothing. No catch, no gear and Ronon only had the shirt on his back, which he pulled down at the front to cover his..."

"Mother," Ronon growled in warning.

"I was almost laughing when they made it back inside, but the story of what happened to their things was to die for." Kate smiled and as Amara turned to Elizabeth, she stopped. "I guess I'll have to finish that story another time." She grinned. Elizabeth had already fallen asleep.

~*~

They waited until last, letting the people leave the bunker slowly before Ronon helped her to her feet. Elizabeth ached from head to toe and the little sleep she had been able to get in the last few days had been interrupted. Kara, having gone the first hour without demanding anything, had woken her consistently every three hours to be fed. She wanted nothing more than their comfortable bed and some peace and quiet. Despite her aching bones, sore stomach and headache, she insisted on picking Kara up and carrying her out of the bunker.

As she stepped out into the daylight, she realised just how close she'd come to losing Ronon. It made her take a step closer to him. The palace was still mostly in one piece. A section of wall had been knocked down, leaving easy access for the drones she knew needed to go through it. Rodney McKay was sprawled, fast asleep across the grass near the weapon and several of the military from both planets were lingering or sitting around. It had been a hard couple of days and it had only ended when scanners from Atlantis had confirmed that there were no Wraith left on the planet.

She let Ronon guide her across the lawn, moving slowly so the guards and Atlantis personnel who hadn't been in the bunker could sneak a peek at their newborn baby. She guessed by now that John and her parents knew about the birth and probably that it was a girl, but as yet had been unable to come and visit. Too many things stood in the way of that happening. Mainly that the gate system program Rodney had made was still running. There was communication between the planets, but no one was able to travel off their current location just yet, they'd end up in the dead of space if they tried.

Lorne appeared at her side, walking slowly along with them as they surveyed the damage of their home and the surrounding city. It would take years to rebuild back to Sateda's previous glory, but it would be worth it. A city and a planet of people to hand over to their daughter in eighteen year's time. As they started up the steps to the palace doors, Lorne paused. Curiously, Elizabeth turned around and Ronon moved with her. A few steps up, with her hair a mess and feeling as though she'd been dragged through the war on her own, Lorne took a quick picture of them.

"Don't worry, main focus was on the baby," he said with a grin. "Your parents were insisting."

She smiled before she turned, facing out over the lawn of the front gardens, or what used to be the front gardens. People had started to gather, curious about the baby. Word had spread like wildfire from their bunker to the rest of the city. Down the sides of the building, people started to collect, watching them. Ronon tapped her shoulder and carefully guided her to the top of the stairs, only a few up from where they had stopped. Turning back, Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. Their people, Ronon and hers, had survived. They had done it. The Wraith were gone and the closest danger to them at that very moment was a newborn baby who she had no doubt in a few years would be running around the city causing trouble.

Just like her father.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Rise to Victory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/120303) by [strivaria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strivaria/pseuds/strivaria)




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